


Goddess of Spring

by vayneville



Category: Stray Kids
Genre: Changbin as Apollo, F/M, Hyunjin as Aphrodite, Jeongin as Hestia, Minho as Hades, OC as Persephone, OC x Minho, Persephone x Hades - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-09-25 07:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20372923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vayneville/pseuds/vayneville
Summary: Chaos ensues when Soojin is brought to the Underworld to serve as queen alongside Minho, the god of the dead. With the help of the twins, Jisung and Felix, and with the other gods by Minho's side, will they both find love in the dreadful Underworld? Or will they continue to suffer under the wrath of time and immortality?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First work, yay! This is still ongoing, so please be patient with me, especially because it's so long : ( I'm not sure how many chapters this will be, but this is kind of a long fic, so yezzz. Thanks for reading!

She already knew the news before Woojin and Seungmin, her brothers, came into sight. It was already a topic of discussion at the dinner table, and even if she hated the idea, she had no choice but to accept it as truth and fact. Lying underneath the sun and on top of the poppy field, she felt turbulent on the inside, knowing that she was about to be sentenced to something worse than death. 

Her two siblings sighed as they lay beside her without trampling the flowers underneath them. The trick was to be the sibling of the goddess of Spring, or be the goddess herself, in order to not squish the flora and ultimately name them ugly. Together, they stared at the sky without hurting their eyes, and everything was fine until Woojin, her older brother, spoke. 

“Mom’s sending you away today,” he said as he held her hand softly, but firmly. Woojin was always the sturdy rock in their family, considering that he was next in line for the throne after their mother, who was usually locked up in her throne room, never to hear from her children ever again. Soojin would be surprised if she was able to talk to her mother more than twice every seventeen years. Because of this she grew estranged from her mother ever since birth, and rejected every single show of love from her, even if the loving actions were born from the need to show motherhood, and not the want. 

“I know,” she said. “It was only a matter of time.” 

Seungmin, her younger brother, sighed and placed his hands under his head, still staring up, up, up. He must be as exasperated as she was, if something like this made the usually dandy boy sigh. “I’m gonna miss you, sis.” 

“I’m gonna miss you, too, kid,” she said back as she couldn’t help the single tear that fell from her eyes and onto the flowers below her. The clouds picked up on this and instantly darkened. Let it be known that the day Soojin departs from the surface is when the sky cries for her. 

She stood in her room, now, with the outside world still praying for her to return soon. She stood there, in front of her bedroom mirror, brushing her shoulder-length ash brown hair, staring at the crown of flowers wrapped around her head. She stared at her white silk dress, how the thin straps crossed behind her back, and how the slit showed her practically pristine legs. She thought about… this…? This was what her mother was sending to the Underworld?

She sighed and set the brush down on her bedside table. She was to accept her fate. Otherwise, something bad would happen to the kingdom and possibly to her. If she resisted, her mother would still force her, so she had to go with the flow. All for her brothers and for her kingdom. 

The large wooden door leading to the outside creaked open, showing Seungmin’s head popping out from the side. “Are you ready, sis?” he asked, reluctant to show any emotion, scared that it may trigger a sob from her. She had to stay strong for both of her brothers, especially kindhearted Seungmin, who was prone to crying uncontrollably. 

She nodded and didn’t bother putting on any shoes. Besides, walking barefoot was a more comfortable state for her. She knew that if she felt the earth under her feet, no matter where it was, she would be alright. Seungmin led her from her bedroom to the winding hallways of the white marbled castle, leading all the way up to the very top where the throne room was located. Surprisingly, her mother wasn’t there.

Good. 

Soojin didn’t want anything to do with her mother, especially because it was her idea to give Soojin away. The throne room was simple and decorated with Soojin’s family’s trademark flora: entwining vines, bright orange poppies, and large colorful roses. The thrones were made from vines entangled with each other, and the seats were covered with plush white roses. The royal crown was encased in a box locked with magic, with the crown covered in—you guessed it—roses, with a few diamonds and jewels that looked like dew scattered here and there. It was the usual, but the notable thing in the room was the portal that led to the Underworld. 

The portal showed her a castle that stood atop a high rock formation, with its turrets and battlements standing strong, made from the hardest yet most polished rocks Soojin had ever seen. The keep stood its ground just right behind that, though it looked strangely different from the other building, considering that even though the castle was as pitch black as the sky above it, it looked like it was glowing from the inside, its shade somewhat dark blue. There was a moat just outside the curtain wall, and a spiked barrier just beyond the bridge, the castle gatehouse, was drawn for anyone to enter. Though the castle was made to keep enemies out, it oddly looked like it was to cage someone in. Perhaps Soojin would be the next victim. 

Woojin took her hand as the three of them entered the portal with Soojin closing her eyes as they crossed to barrier between their world and the underground. They were transported to the bottom of the cliff that the castle stood on, and they were greeted by two large steeds, their height easily over six feet, their bodies attached to a steel chariot with spikes dotting its wheels. In front of them was a blond man, clad in an all black outfit consisting of a long-sleeved polo and slacks, topped off with leather shoes that seemed a little too big for him. His features were chiseled, but his expression was kind. His lips were plump and looked petal soft, while a black button earring hung from his earlobe. 

“Ms. Soojin?” he asked as he approached the three of them. She initially flinched when his deep voice caught her off-guard, but she relaxed once she saw his outstretched hand, which she easily took, though her entire body was prepared for any contingency. “My name is Bang Chan, but you can call me Chan. I’m his majesty’s counselor, and I’d like to welcome you to the Underworld kingdom.” 

She nodded as she bowed her head. “These are my brothers; Woojin, Seungmin.” She pointed to her brothers respectively, though she noted the sad appearances on their faces. “Thank you for welcoming me here. If I may ask, where’s your king?” 

“He’s overseeing operations in the River Styx as of now,” he explained nonchalantly, as if she knew what he was talking about. She did, however, because she’d read up on whatever she was supposed to face, though she knew only the surface level. “I’d like to extend his apologies for not being able to meet you today, especially on your first arrival.” 

She shrugs. “It sounds like your king is a bit of a workaholic, not being able to meet his guest at this time.”

He winces at her words, though he does so only slightly. “I guess you could say that. Then again, he would like to express his joy upon your arrival here. We’re all grateful that you could come and rule the Underworld alongside our king.” 

“Happy to be of service, I guess.”

“I’ll lead you to your room.” He motions over to the chariot behind him, but before she could mount it, her brothers gathered up to bid her goodbye.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured them, but mostly for Seungmin’s sake who was hanging onto her for dear life. “I’ll miss you guys.” 

Seungmin’s grip on her got tighter as he practically sobbed into her shoulder. “Please don’t go…” he said. “You don’t deserve this.” 

“Nobody deserves this kind of treatment, but you know what? I’ll be fine,” she said to them once more. “You guys go on ahead and take care of our kingdom, and make sure it stays the same until I get back, okay?” 

Woojin nodded as he patted her on the back. He was never really one for showing any affection or emotion because he knew he had to be strong for his two younger siblings, but Soojin could see that this time, there were tears in his eyes that threatened to fall down his cheeks. With one last hug, they were off, and the portal closed behind her. 

She followed Chan to the chariot and they were soon on their way to the large castle that awaited her. It was only a ten-minute ride from the bottom of the rock formation to the castle keep, but she couldn’t help but let her eyes travel up and down to inspect the portcullis, the dark river that served as the moat around the battlements, the drawbridge that seemed almost magical, and the watchtowers that seemed to loom over her. It didn’t feel sad to her, the entire castle grounds, but it seemed too well-guarded, as if it was to keep someone in. 

They finally arrived at the castle itself, where two gray wooden doors of relatively great size stood, and they opened when Soojin got down from the chariot with Chan’s gentlemanly help. She was soon led to a red carpeted hallway with portraits of horses, a three-headed dog, and vaguely familiar gods and goddesses decking the walls. A wooden foyer greeted her, with two sets of stairs flanking each side, one leading to the west wing, and the other to the east wing, and Chan led her to the east. They traveled down an atrium with a fountain smack in the middle of the hall, and a pair of thrones sitting atop a pedestal just slightly above them. There was another set of stairs that led to another set of hallways lit by torches with blue flames, and Chan led her down until they reached a sizeable pair of, again, gray wooden doors. 

He opened them to reveal a room separated into three: one with a sleeping area, one with a study, and one with a dressing room. The sleeping area was off to the left, a transparent canopy above a replica of the bed she slept in back at home: a circular memory foam mattress with white feather down pillows and a pink blanket. In front of her was a vast set of bookshelves embedded into the wall, covering floor to ceiling, with a wide table just in the middle of the room with several studying tools on top of it. To the right was a closet that also spanned the floor to the ceiling, and a bathtub made of marble sat right in the middle, the bath drawn and bubbles coming off from it. 

“This looks exactly like home, but better,” she remarked as she moved around the room. “How did you get it to be like this?” 

“The Boss did say to make your stay as comfortable as possible, so he had this made just in time for your arrival,” he explained quickly. “We hope it’s to your liking, and that the smell of fresh paint won’t bother you too much.” 

She shook her head. “It really doesn’t.” She continued to marvel at the size of the room and at the decorations of vines and roses adorning the ceilings and doorways, as if the king of the Underworld knew her taste down to a T. “Thanks for this. It really does make my stay a little bit more comfortable.” 

Nodding, Chan said, “Well, your trunks have been unpacked and set in the closet and everywhere else, so if you need anything, just call on the wisps.”

“The what now?” As if on cue, the blue flames from the torches outside moved from their places and into the room, where they swirled around her and blew her dress up a little bit, their edges tickling her and bringing a laugh out of her. “Your wisps, I see?”

“Think of them as your personal servants, only more annoying,” he says as he eyed the blue orbs of light menacingly, and they seemed to bow in exasperation. “I hope you don’t mind the twins bothering you.” 

“I have two brothers. What could be worse than that, right?” 

Chan snorted a little bit as he twined his fingers behind him. “Before I forget, his majesty wants an audience with you. Maybe—”

“Tell him that I don’t want to just yet,” she interrupted, and Chan seemed to be surprised by this response. “I don’t want an audience with him as of today, and if he doesn’t respect my wishes, he can properly expect nothing from me.”

Without hesitation, Chan nodded. “I see. I’ll make sure to relay this information to the king. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy your stay.” He bows to her one more time before leaving her in the presence of the wisps, which took their places on the chairs in the middle of the room.

Before long, the wisps shook like they were about to explode, and they eventually do, becoming human versions of themselves, sitting in the seats right below them.

The longer and blond of haired half of the twins sat in a red and white striped polo with semi-puffed sleeves near the wrist, complete with black slim fit pants and a pair of similarly colored boots. His facial features were round and soft, his straight and filled in eyebrows framing his somewhat droopy eyes. His nose fell straight down his face, and below them was a set of pouty lips. With his puffy cheeks, he reminded her of a squirrel, or some other woodland animal.

The other half had a slightly fatter nose, yet it lay elegantly on his face. His eyes were round yet elongated sideways which gave him a more catty look, and his light brown hair encircled his entire head. His lips sat just a little past his nose, a set of small plush lips that had a lesser pronounced Cupid’s bow. He wore a white collared polo with tiger designs all over it, and a pair of black chino shorts, paired with socks that rose just a few inches above his ankle, and casual white sneakers. 

“You guys are human?” she asked the two of them, clearly confused at what had just happened. “Please tell me I’m not hallucinating.” 

“You’re not,” the one in the white polo said. “We really have corporeal forms, but we like flying, too. I’m Felix, by the way.” 

“And I’m Jisung,” the one in the red and white shirt said. “And we’re your twin wisps! We’re here to help you with whatever you need.”

She laughed a little bit as she sank down on a similar vintage seat across from them. “You can tell me how to get out of here, and we’d be on good terms,” she said half-jokingly, but the twins paled with whatever had just come out of her mouth. 

“Can’t, sadly,” Jisung said, “‘cause Boss would probably put us on Cerberus duty for ten more years and I can’t handle his slobber any longer.” 

“Cerberus?” she asked, her ears practically perking up.

“Boss’s guard dog,” Felix interjects. “He personally likes cats, but what can you do when the gods cursed you to live underground?”

“Hmm,” she hummed as she made herself a little bit more comfortable by resting her legs on the armrest, which kind of surprised the two boys, but they spoke nothing. “I’ve heard about him being cursed, but I didn’t know it was to this degree.” 

Felix shrugged. “Again, what can you do? He’s been miserable his entire life ‘cause he’s been judging the dead every single day, and of course it gets tiring, but he has to do it, or there’ll be consequences.”

“What consequences, you may ask?” Jisung asked, echoing her thoughts. 

“Lessen our majesty’s trips to the surface,” Felix answers. “Even though Boss doesn’t really go up there, he likes to smell the fresh air once in a while.”

Soojin stroked her chin in mock thinking, even if she really wasn’t thinking that hard. “I just wonder why he chose me out of all the people on the surface. My older brother Woojin is more fit to rule a kingdom more than I, but your king didn’t choose him.” 

“Well, to tell you honestly about Boss’s preference, he’d rather have a queen by his side, and not a king. Heh,” Felix said awkwardly with an equally lopsided grin plastered on his face. “Not that we’re against that kind of thing, but it’s just that he specifically told the gods he needed a touch of something different in the Underworld, and lo and behold, he got you.” 

“A touch of Spring,” the other twin said in reply. “Maybe you can help us down here in ways we never really knew existed.” 

“That’s a little foreshadow-y of you,” she remarked, cocking one eyebrow up. “But I’ll take it. You guys can go, now. I don’t want you guys to see me in my miserable state.” 

“Are you sure?” Jisung asked. “We’re happy to help you with whatever you need, even if you need a friend… or two. Heh.” 

She shook her head and smiled at them. “I do need a friend or two, but it’s just that I want to be alone for a little bit. How can I call on you again?” 

“Usually, we appear when you need us,” Jisung explained simply. “We can sense when you’re in need of a handsome set of twins, so we’ll just come to you when that time comes.”

She nodded and she stood up from her seat, and walked slowly towards the bathing area. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bath to go to.” 

The twins got on their feet and simultaneously salute her, and after that, they were on their way, transforming into their wispy form and flying out the window. After they left, her bottom lip quivered and tears fell from her eyes as she depressingly stripped herself free from her silken cage and stepped into the lukewarm water. With a snap of her fingers, vines entangled themselves in her hair and pulled it up, topping off the bun with a white rose. She submerged her body from the neck down into the bubbles and rested her head on the edge of the bathtub, and found it to be surprisingly comfortable. 

She couldn’t believe her mother had just given her up like that. She didn’t even bother seeing her off. The Underworld may have been a little more comfortable than she imagined, but it was still worlds away from her family, and she couldn’t bear the thought of living without them for eternity. Curse immortality. 

By the time she was finished bathing, it was already midnight. It was an unconventional time to request an audience with the king, but the least uncomfortable time she could catch him, the better, even if it was something against her moral compass. Let her be petty for once, right? And so she found a white dress with light pinkish undertones, and it was decorated with floral patterns imprinted on the fabric itself. The top of the dress started from her chest and had a deep V, but not too far down to the point that it would expose too much of her cleavage. The transparent sleeves were tied to her forearms, and the skirt flowed down to the tops of her ankles, leaving just enough room for her to traipse around if she wanted to. 

“You need something again?”

She almost jumped out of her skin when Jisung called out to her from the doorway, his twin leaning on the frame. “Gods, don’t scare me like that ever again,” she said, clutching the dress by her chest. “But yes, I do need your help.” 

“You look so good!” Felix remarked as he clapped his hands softly.

“Thanks, Felix,” she said in reply, a small smile forming on her face. “In any case, I want an audience with the king. I know it’s late at night, but I’ve only decided on this now.” 

“Boss doesn’t sleep much anyway,” Jisung said, grinning. “We’ll take you to him.” 

Jisung and Felix both held out their arms for her to take, and she did in delight. While on the way to the meeting, she asked about the twins’ lives and how they ended up working for the king, and she found out that they were simply trapped underground as blue flames that endangered the entire land. Initially, they were angered spirits, but the king was able to soothe their hearts and give them mortal bodies. They didn’t really have any parents because they were just like the wandering souls in the River Styx. They’ve been serving the king for as long as they could remember, but neither of them had the pleasure of attending to a goddess before. The only gods that came down to the underground were the king’s friends: the god of beauty, the god of the hearth, and the god of medicine and music. She also asked them about Chan and how he became the counselor of the king, and they answered with shrugs. All they knew about him was that he was once a mortal and was given the power of immortality. It was an amazing feat, she remarked, but immortality always has its downs, and they agreed. 

Before she knew it, they arrived at a set of white double doors, a shock of a change in the otherwise dreadfully colored castle. The doors connected the floor to the ceiling and the doorknobs were made of stainless steel, with the emblems of a three-headed dog holding the reddest of rubies for eyes. The twins knocked on the door twice and the doors opened wide without anyone actually helping out from the inside, as if they had opened magically. Inside, above the long, white, marble table that sat in the middle of the room, was the most intricate of chandeliers she had ever seen. Diamonds of different shapes and sizes decorated the winding lamp itself, while blue flames that bathed the room in a warm white light—confusing, yes—hovered above the candlesticks being held by the chandelier. She noticed that the flowers surrounding the chandelier were asphodels, and that they swayed in the wind without being burned by the blue fire. The windows that lined the walls were also embellished with the same flowers, giving the room a somewhat pleasant ambiance. 

Without even blinking, she snapped her fingers behind her back to lay dew on top of the plants, and the room immediately started to smell floral. The twins looked over to her and smiled, seemingly thanking her for the small act of kindness she bestowed upon them. 

What she didn’t notice, however was the man making his way towards her, clad in a plain white turtleneck and a black suit jacket, along with black slacks and heeled leather shoes. Once she had finished marveling at the room, she only figured out the presence of the man when he was a foot away from her, his hand held out in front of him. She looked at his face and he was just… 

Beautiful. 

His dark blue hair was styled slickly and up, his hair parted in the middle to show his glorious and shining forehead. His eyebrows were straight, giving him a more angelic look. Eye bags fell under his kind eyes, though he showed no signs of tiredness whatsoever. His nose bridge was absolutely perfect, heading down a straight slope down his face, and his lips. Oh, his lips looked like they were begging to be kissed. They formed a catlike smile on his face, his Cupid’s bow pronounced and the sides of his lips turning up. In order for her to focus, she had to divert her attention to his eyes and ears, where a lone silver earring hung from, which shone underneath the brightness of the flames above them. 

“Soojin, goddess of Spring, I’m guessing,” he said in jest, and the sound of his voice was like honey to her ears, his tone matching his face excellently. “Welcome to the Underworld. I’m Minho, the king of this place.” 

She gulped down the very last drop of her confidence and shook his hand firmly and bowed her head to him. “Like you said, Soojin, goddess of Spring,” she said and she almost slapped herself right there and then. No, she was here on a mission to make him feel bad. “You got what you wanted now, right?”

He was a bit staggered by what she’d just said, and he came up with, “I’m sorry?” 

“You got a queen of the Underworld now, are you happy?” 

“Not… exactly?” he said, gauging just how much he could muster up. “I only want your stay to be comfortable and not miserable, I guess. As long as you’re here, I don’t want to force you to do anything you wouldn’t want to do.” 

“So what’s the point of me being dragged down here?”

He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back. “You’re supposed to rule the Underworld with me, but like I said, I don’t want you to be forced into doing something you don’t want to do. If you don’t want to do any of the tasks, then I’m completely fine with it. All I ask is for your good grace and cooperation with me as a person.”

“Huh,” she said, unable to find the proper words for his good naturedness. “Considering that I’m down here, I guess I have nothing better to do than to help you out. What do you need help in, anyway?” 

“No need for you to concern yourself at this time of the night,” he replied quickly, his eyes widening in panic a little bit. “All operations have ceased for today, and they’ll resume tomorrow morning. Nothing for you to be stressed about tonight.”

She shrugged her shoulders and nodded at him. “Well, I’m glad my sleep won’t be disturbed as much for this night. Also, thanks, I needed that.” 

“No problem,” he said, saluting her, albeit embarrassingly, judging from the look in his eyes. She could practically feel the twins’ hands connecting with their faces behind her. “Oh, before I forget: there’s a garden out back if you want to go there.” 

Her eyes shone and she clapped her hands excitedly, a wide grin on her face. “Really?” 

He nodded. “Really. It’ll be open all day and all night for you to enjoy. Figured it’s the least I could do to—”

“—make my stay more comfortable, yes,” she interrupted, a little jokingly, a little truthfully. “It’s alright, I guess. Thank you.”

“If you need me, I’ll be in my chambers in the west wing. If you need me tomorrow, just call up Chan and request an audience with me… or something to that effect.” Even though his look was pretty regal and dashing, his personality betrayed him. He was a little bit on the awkward side, and though his words were calming and formal, Soojin thought that maybe there was a little boy trapped inside that just wanted to get out, both of the body and the Underworld. 

In the end, she nodded and smiled at him. “Thanks. I’ll be in the garden now, if you need me, too.” She stared into his eyes as he nodded, and she was almost instantly smitten by him. Not to say that he was still a dick for bringing her down here, but that wasn’t to disregard just how good-looking he is. In any case, she bowed one last time to him and exited the room, practically hopping and skipping back down the hallway. “Okay, where’s the garden now?” 

“We’ll take you to it,” Felix said as they went down the stairs into the foyer. Where there was a wall in the middle on the top of the stairs, there appeared to be a small crack it, which was really confusing for her considering that the rest of the castle seemed to be properly maintained. 

Jisung knocked twice on the crack and she was almost blown back when a small portal busted wide open, sending her skirt to go whoosh in the wind. Thankfully, she managed to set it back down without embarrassing herself. Beyond the portal, she could feel, was a garden that spanned the castle’s width, which was a good hectare, maybe even a little bit beyond that. It was almost as big as her garden back home, but it was somewhat more beautiful, since the contrast between the pitch black sky and the colorful garden was a tad shocking. She couldn’t help but smirk when she could see that there was a fountain up front, a life-sized marble statue of her wearing a chiton sat atop it. Water poured from beneath her feet and down to a hexagonal base, the water flowing from it almost sapphire blue in color. 

“The poppy garden is to the left, the rose garden is straight ahead, and there’s a pond that leads to Elysium over to the right,” Jisung explained, his fingers pointing to the areas he just mentioned. “There are also pomegranate trees scattered around the garden, but Boss didn’t want to have those cut down because they’re pretty important fruits around here.” 

“No, that’s alright,” she said, slightly surprised. “My favorite fruit is the pomegranate. I’m a bit shocked that they grow here.” 

“Well, pomegranates symbolize immortality and nature back down here,” Felix recites from memory. “Boss says he likes to keep them because it reminds him of how the gods cursed him to this place forever.” 

“That’s so… metal,” she confessed. “I hope it isn’t too burdening.”

Jisung shrugged as the three of them stepped inside the portal, while Soojin couldn’t get over the smell of roses and poppies, getting her all giddy and excited. “Boss is cool like that. Though kinda sad.”

Felix nodded in agreement. “Hope you enjoy your stay here, your Highness.” 

“Please, just call me Soojin,” she said, completely astonished by how they just called her that. 

“Okay, your Highness, Soojin,” Jisung said with a grin, and they then disappeared with a snap of Felix’s fingers. 

She laughed to herself as she traipsed around the outskirts of the garden, floating above the poppy flowers and grass in order to not collapse them and render them crushed. It was a magical feeling to be back among the flora again, and it reminded her of home. 

Huh, home. She was about to wonder how it was back there until she saw a person by one of the pomegranate trees in the back, a hooded figure staring up at the leaves and the fruits. She cocked her head to the side and pondered about who it could be, when the silhouette started moving towards her, a good forty feet away from her. She was about to run when her head was suddenly filled with warmth, good memories, and overall comfort. It was like something was telling her that it was alright for her to stay put. 

The figure then showed his face. It was a boy who looked a little bit younger than her, with his pastel pink hair covering his forehead and his sparkling eyes staring into hers. His cheeks were a little bit sunken in, but it didn’t indicate any malnourishment. His lips fell in a straight line under his thin nose, forming a small smile across his face. “Hi,” he said cheerily. 

“Hi…?” she said warily. “Who are you?”

“I’m Jeongin,” he said as he took off his hood and it disappeared slowly in the wind. His black hoodie was covered by a black leather jacket, with jeans with the same color shaped his hips and knees. He wore black and white casual sneakers, too, similar to the ones Felix had on. “Just a wandering soul here.” 

She nodded. “Oh, you’re one of the souls here. I see. What are you doing here, exactly?” 

“Just came to admire the pomegranate trees and the new garden here. It wasn’t like this before.” 

“Yeah, it wasn’t like this up until a few… I don’t know. All I know is this wasn’t here before, and it changed because of me,” she said, and she suddenly shook her head, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself: Soojin, goddess of Spring.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Jeongin said as he got on one knee, his head bowed to her. “I didn’t know that.” 

She shrugged and held him by the shoulder, signaling for him to come up, and he did. “It’s alright. I’m new here, so I’m guessing you have more experience down here more than I do, and I’m kind of grateful for that. I need more friends down here.” 

Jeongin gave her the sweetest and widest of smiles, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest. “I’m happy to be of service.”

She sighed and collapsed onto the ground, folding her legs under her, and he soon followed. “I hate being here. I’m unhappy here, and I miss my family on the surface.”

“I miss my family, too,” he said dejectedly. “But we have to make do with what we have down here. Besides, don’t you have a responsibility to rule over the souls here? Maybe you can do something with that. After all, this place hasn’t had a touch of Spring ever since… forever, really.”

Nodding, she said, “That’s what everyone says here, too. What does that even mean?” 

Jeongin shrugged his shoulders and rested on his hands behind him. “We need a little pick-me-up once in a while. Maybe you can provide that for us.” 

A moment of silence was shared between them as she gave thought to what he’d just said. If she were to supply them with happiness down in the Underworld, how exactly would she do that in a horrible place such as this?

“Maybe I can help you a little bit,” Jeongin said, standing up and outstretching his arm towards her, and she took it and instantly felt home. A rush of flower petals touching her face, the scent of vanilla, the taste of pomegranate seeds. All of these culminated into what she felt when she touched Jeongin’s arm. It was a wonderful feeling and she wished it would last forever, but it only happened for a few seconds. “If you need anything, just call my name, and I’ll be there. I don’t do much nowadays, so if you need something, just make sure to beckon me.” 

“This was really nice of you, thanks,” she said and unexpectedly hugged him. It was just… she missed home so much and anything that the Underworld could give to her regarding home would be the best blessing she could ever receive now. Before she knew it, the warm feeling in her heart disappeared, and she was left alone, her arms wrapped around nothing. She guessed it was time for Jeongin to go, and maybe it was her time as well. 

* * *

Minho watched her from his place on the balcony, interacting with the hooded figure in the garden he’d made for her. With his arms crossed in front of him, his eyes remained on her as she took Jeongin’s hand and she was suddenly lit from the inside, her smooth skin glowing underneath the pitch black sky. A small smile formed on his face as he noticed Chan pacing back and forth behind him without even looking at him.

“What’s the god of the hearth doing in the sad Underworld at this time of the night?” Minho asked his friend about Jeongin.

“It’s only sad because you’re sad, you know,” Chan said in reply, and Minho’s lip curled in annoyance, considering that Chan’s always said this over and over, and it never gets old. “If, you know, a certain presence comes to the Underworld, then maybe you wouldn’t be so sulky and broody.” 

“I’m sulky and broody? What do you call this guy, then?” he retorted as he pointed to Hyunjin who was sitting comfortably on one of the chairs in the meeting room, fiddling with his rings and necklaces. “This guy gets so sad whenever someone breaks up with him, and that’s every twelve years!” 

“Hey, that’s Mr. God of Beauty to you, good sir,” Hyunjin said, pointing his finger at his friend. “Is it my fault that I’m this attractive to both mortals and immortals? No, it definitely is not. You can go ask my parents about it.”

Minho rolled his eyes and went back to watching his supposed queen, who was just laying on the ground, staring up at what served as the sky in the Underworld. He sighed. “This is gonna prove to be more difficult than anything I’ve ever imagined.” 

“I’m just saying, I know a pretty face when I see one, and Soojin definitely has one,” Hyunjin said, prompting a laugh from the counselor beside him. 

“What are you trying to say this time?” Minho asks the god.

“It means exactly what you think it means, you oldie,” Hyunjin said, twirling his necklace around his slender fingers. “Just saying: if you want to get close to her, you should at least try.” 

He smirked in reply. Knowing that Hyunjin wanted to hear these exact words, he decided to just go for it. “Who said I wanted to get close to her?”

Chan snorted and hid it behind his hands. “Not with your history, Minho.”

“You’re in on this, too?” Minho accused his counselor. “You’re supposed to be providing me with advice; not turning against me!” 

“I’m not turning against you, per se,” Chan said, faking his contemplativeness. “I’m providing you with good advice, and Hyunjin here is just really good evidence of the fact that you really should get close to Soojin. So you could say that I’m just doing my job.” It was so like Chan to have a grin plastered on his face after saying something like that, so Minho couldn’t exactly fault him for “giving good advice.” 

“Just do it, you prick,” Hyunjin said as he got up from his seat. “I’m always right when it comes to these kind of things.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Minho said with finality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while :^) soz for not updating but, well, here it is! Apologies for any errors in spelling and grammar! This is my first fic so I'm really nervous TT_TT I forgot to say!!! Most of this work is inspired/taken from the book, Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast! If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do bc it's where I got this from, and it's a pretty good book!

One of the reasons why she liked castles was because it usually takes you a million times to go around them before you memorize every nook and cranny of the place. Castles hold a lot of secrets and history, and even though it was a little suffocating at times, it was simply magical in nature. 

Imagine her surprise when she walks out of her room to peer out the window and see millions of souls being ferried from the end of a cave then over a river, and ultimately to either a river of fire, or a path down to another river made of smoke. It was truly horrendous to see this kind of activity in the Underworld, but she knew she had to steel herself if she was going to become the ruler of this place. 

Atop a high rock, overlooking the place, was Minho himself. He was dressed a little bit more casually now, with a gray jean jacket and a plain white tee, with black jeans and chunky white sneakers. His hands were in his pockets and his expression was stern, his eyes darting around the area. His look was practically stonelike, but Soojin couldn’t help but admire at how handsome he just looked standing there; just standing there.

She sighed and she knew she had to go down there, but not without Felix and Jisung appearing before her. 

“Looks like you’re in need of a horse,” Jisung said, reading her mind. “You really wanna go down there?” 

“I mean, I don’t really have a choice if I’m going to rule this place,” she said, downcast. “I have to go talk to Minho and apologize for how petty I was last night.” 

Felix shrugged and held out his hands in surrender. “I wash my hands of this, but I’m pretty sure Boss understands why you reacted that way. I mean, if you dragged me into the Underworld, I’d pretty much wreck my nails trying to hold on to the ground.”

“So now you know how I feel,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her contemplatively. “Anyways, I need one of the steeds. Can you supply me one?” 

Jisung nodded. “One is already on its way.” 

And so the twins led her down to the main doors of the castle, where one of the mighty horses was standing ever so gracefully. She slowly approached it at first and touched its white snout, communicating to the horse that flora and fauna have always been friends, and she was able to handle the animal easily after that. The twins bid her goodbye as she rode towards the river. It was a fifteen-minute horse ride and she passed by what seemed like a river that encircled the entire Underworld how many times, fields of asphodel flowers, and a golden gate, but she couldn’t care less because she was scared shitless. She needed to get to Minho as soon as possible.

She got to the rock and found him nowhere in sight. Her head swayed from side to side trying to find him, but unexpectedly…

“Looking for me?” Minho said, suddenly appearing in view, absolutely scaring the goddess out of her. So much so that she fell off her steed and onto the ground.

Almost. 

She fell off of the horse as she screamed and she braced herself for the rocky landing, and she closed her eyes in order to not see herself getting hurt, but she didn’t get hurt. She felt strong arms on her back and under her legs, which led her to believe that Minho was catching her. When she opened her eyes, she was face to face with the king’s godly features, his expression one of shock and worry, but her cheeks instantly pinkened when she realized what kind of situation she’d gotten herself into. 

“Oh my gods,” she whispered as she scrambled to her feet, clearly embarrassed about what just happened to her. Even the steed seemed to be laughing at her as it whinnied. “I’m so sorry.” 

“No worries,” he said, brushing himself off and smiling at her. A smile that seemed to strike her heart at a rather uncomfortable angle. “It was my fault; I shouldn’t have scared you like that.” 

She laughed awkwardly. Lopsidedly. Humiliatingly. All of the adjectives in the dictionary pertaining to “awkward” would just fall short of how she felt at that moment. “Anyway, doesn’t it get tiring to do that sort of thing? Overseeing the dead and judging them at the end of the day?” 

“You get used to it,” he remarks. “The dead are insufferable, but at least they aren’t as annoying as the gods up there.” 

She snorted. “You got that right. My mother’s a goddess, too, and I just wish I wasn’t connected to her ever again. I guess you could say I’m a little bit glad you dragged me out here.” 

“We’re glad you came,” he said, shrugging, and they shared a small laugh with each other. “I see you’ve met the horse.” 

She smiled a little bit, glancing at the white steed behind her, patting its body and its neck. “Animals are always welcome in our kingdom because flora and fauna have always been intertwined with each other, so horses aren’t strangers to me. Here’s the only thing I’ve been wondering, though: I thought your signature color was black, therefore I thought your steeds would be black.”

He chuckled a little bit as he reached over and stroked the horse’s back, and it whinnied in response, albeit happily. “That’s a little naïve of you, goddess, isn’t it?” he said, but not in a patronizing way. “White and black have a certain balance here. White serves as a symbolism for the purity of death, while black represents the dead themselves. It’s a little counterintuitive to some, but it makes perfect sense down here.” 

Shrugging, she said, “Yeah, that makes sense.” She looked around the place one more time before making contact with his cheerful eyes once again. “You’re an enigma, aren’t you, Minho?” 

His brought his head back to his neck and cocked an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Your eyes tell a different story from your soul,” she said, suddenly placing a hand on his chest, and she was absolutely right. Drawing from the powers of the dark earth beneath her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to get to the very core of what was inside Minho. With this kind of power, she could see the auras of every person she meets, and she can usually see through their deception. Things however, didn’t turn out that way with him. His aura was of an honest one, though she was right with her first impression of the castle, that it was meant to cage someone in. Stormy feelings were inside him, but underneath those was a small boy that just didn’t want to be alone. “Your eyes look happy but your heart is trapped.” 

Sighing downheartedly, he placed his hand on top of hers and bowed his head. “I… I don’t know where to go. I’m tired of living like this.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand what his heart was really saying. “Tired of living how?” 

“Being cursed by the gods is one thing, but bearing billions of deaths is another,” he said, dropping his hand from hers, and she managed to reclaim her hand ever so sadly. “I don’t know where I’m headed, and I don’t think I have the strength to go on from here.” 

“Hey, hey,” she said soothingly, trying to calm him down, “I’m here now, alright? You don’t need to worry about a thing because I’m here for you now, and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, okay?”

He looked back at her just like how a kicked puppy would stare back. At this point, she could count the colors in his eyes, and even the tears that were about to fall. “Do you really believe that?” It took a few moments for her to assemble the words he desperately needed to hear. 

“I’m starting to.” 

Minho gave her a sad smile, but their sweet moment was soon to be interrupted by a low growl, a thunderous one that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth. She looked around, but she couldn’t see anything that resembled an earthquake—her body would know if something like that happened, but there was nothing. Once she found out where the sound was coming from, she looked up and all she could say was, “Oh my gods.” 

Rising ten feet above the ground was a hound with three heads, its eyes bloody red and its fangs bared and ready to chomp down on its nearest target, which Soojin believed was her. Minho noticed the fear in her eyes and stared back at the dog, quickly barking an order. “Cerberus, down!” 

The dog suddenly stopped showing her its fangs and instead, sat down and panted like the cutest puppy ever known to man. Her knees gave way and she knew she was about to faint until Minho caught her by the arms and supported her. “Your hound is going to kill me,” she said weakly as she tried to get her legs to function again. “Your hound is going to kill me.” 

“Cerberus, really?” Minho said as he stared back at the mammal that was adorably cocking its head to the side, as if trying to understand its master. “He can’t even trample an asphodel without crying. He’s a big softie. Personally, I like cats more, but what can you do when gods cursed you to live in this place?”

She could barely process his repetition of one of the twins’ words. Her eyes were about to go back yet tears were welling up in them until Minho laughed at her and started fanning her face with his free hand. She quickly got over herself and she was finally able to brace herself for any other oncoming threats. She really needed to get used to this kind of event if she really were to do her job properly here, but as for now, she would settle for practically passing out in fear in Minho’s muscled arms. “Gods, I love this place,” she said sarcastically.

“Great you see it my way,” he replied. “Do you want a tour of the place? I’d gladly show you around.” 

“That would be great,” she said in a high-pitched voice, clearly still feeble from her encounter with the dog, whose saliva was currently dripping down onto the souls below it. With one last laugh from Minho, he snapped his fingers and summoned another steed, but not without helping Soojin out with her own horse. He then mounted his own horse and signaled for her to follow him. The twins, standing underneath Cerberus—which was the worst idea in the world because of the drool—bid her goodbye by waving white handkerchiefs in the wind.

She blew kisses at them before following behind the king’s navy-haired trail. She wondered just how much of a mystery Minho is, considering that he’s supposed to be the gods’ worst fear, but he himself didn’t wish for that to happen. Just like Cerberus, he had a soft heart for the dead. There’s one thing she couldn’t exactly put her finger on, mostly about what was inside him. There was something hidden in his aura, something about a memory of love. Maybe it was for her to find out soon. 

Before long, they arrived at the top of the highest rock overlooking a field of souls, trapped in what seemed like an area of white flowers and bare trees, the outskirts being blocked by an invisible barrier on which some of the souls were knocking on. She dismounted the horse and knelt down on one knee, placing one hand on the ground and closing her eyes. “The Asphodel Fields,” she said as her eyes fluttered open again. “Where the souls of those who led mediocre lives lie.” 

Minho nodded as he placed his hands behind his back, something she noticed he did when he was thinking contemplatively. That, or when he was being broody, which was probably during all the years of his life. “Sometimes I think it’s worse here than in the Fields of Punishment. Those souls who never lived at all… at times I think they’re more vile than those who have have committed sins against the gods and their fellow mortals,” he said sadly.

She nodded and straightened her back. “Reminds me of that one saying my brother taught me: ‘it’s better to have loved and lost, than not love at all.’” 

“Hmm,” Minho hummed, a small smile on his face. “That’s one of the wisest sayings I’ve ever heard.” 

“What can I say? I’m wise.”

“You literally just asked me about my horses’ col—”

“Shh,” she interrupted, throwing a grin at him. He blew out a breath and threw her a smile back, one side of his lips curling up into a small twinkle. Inside the left part of her chest, her heart did somersaults and jumping exercises. It wasn’t rare for her to feel like this for a good-looking man—there were many of them on the surface, of course—but it was a little bit different this time. It was a first for her to meet someone like Minho, someone so pensive and puzzling. Not that it was a bad thing, but it’s new to her. 

Minho then pointed to a body of water that encircled a separate field, a river that looked like it was made purely of mist and smoke, though it still looked tangible enough to swim or drink from. If she looked closely, she could see pale yellow orbs of light floating in the water. “That’s the River Cocytus,” he said. “It flows from the River Acheron, which flows directly from the surface. It’s called the River of Wailing because it’s where the fisherman of the dead ferries souls that didn’t have a proper burial. This is where those souls wander.” 

“Those are eyes?” she said, referring to the yellow orbs. 

He nodded. “Those are the souls themselves. They make up the river itself.” He then pointed to the river that encircled the Asphodel Fields four times. The surface was almost crystal blue, and the water that flowed from it was lazy and soft, lapping against the riverbank. It was a pleasing sight to see the river in contrast to the quiet black sky. “That’s the River Lethe. Souls are required to drink from it in order to forget their past lives and either be reborn or be sent to one of the fields.” 

“Reborn? So you mean souls here have second chances?” she said, keeping her hopes up just by a little bit. 

“Of course,” he said. “It would be cruel to just keep them wandering here forever, save for the ones in the Fields of Punishment.”

“You mentioned it a while back, the Fields of Punishment,” she said a little bit worryingly. “I don’t think I can stomach going there, Minho. It’s already bad enough that I got scared by you and your dog, so I don’t know…” 

He shook his head once and looked at her with an equally troubled stare. “The gods have never once stepped foot in the Fields of Punishment, and they have good reason not to. I don’t want you to go through that.”

“Thanks. I needed that,” she said. Her eyes scanned the rest of the Underworld until they landed on something that glowed with a golden color. To the east of the Asphodel Fields was a single golden gate the size of Cerberus, spanning around ten to twelve feet above the ground. “What’s that?” 

“That’s the gate to Elysium,” he answered. “That’s usually reserved for heroes or for those who have done noble deeds while they were alive. Not a lot of people go there, and it’s really nothing special when you’ve seen a limited number of people go through the gates.”

“Nothing special? I mean, it’s Elysium. There’s got to be something cool about it.” 

Shrugging his shoulders, he simply replied with, “Rumor has it that the god of beauty’s mortal lovers all go there.” 

“Isn’t that, like… hundreds of thousands…”

He rolled his eyes, crossed his arms in front of him, and tapped his foot twice in annoyance. “That’s what I told him, but he keeps threatening to tell the gods on me for not respecting his wishes.” 

“You’re friends with him?” 

“You could say that,” he said. “He’s annoying, but he’s good to keep around.” 

She smiled and giggled. There was silence shared between them as her eyes examined the entirety of the Underworld. It was a wide expanse composed of bodies of water infused with magic and bare fields with entrapped souls, save for Asphodel which had a smattering of flowers here and there. Sad sight aside, the only thing she could count on to make her happy was Elysium. 

“Shall we head back?” Minho said, stretching his hand out for her to take. 

She stared at it before coming up with a response. “I wanna take you to the garden you built for me,” she said with confidence.

His head tilted to the right, and his face contorted into a confused expression. “Why would you want to do that, if I may ask?” 

“No need to be so formal with me, Minho,” she said as she bumped him on the shoulder and he gave her a small smile, both sides of his mouth turning upwards. “I just want you to feel what it’s like in home base for me. It’s the least I could do to repay you for setting up the garden for me.” 

“I can make time,” he replied with a nod. “Let’s go.” 

Before they left, she made a bet that she could race faster than he can, and he took her up on it. After counting to three and Minho starting before that, she made the horse trot as hard as it could, falling a little short of his pace. She kept yelling at him, how it’s not fair that he started before the count, but all he could do was run his fingers through his styled hair and wink at her. Needless to say, her heart skipped a beat and the charger seemed to pick up on this, whinnying in laughter. 

By the time they got to the castle doors, they were both breathless. They got off the horses and started laughing at each other. “That wasn’t fair,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her petulantly. “You started before I counted to three.” 

“You didn’t say anything about counting to three,” he said, grinning. “All you said was ‘one, two,’ and I assumed we were going to start at two.” 

Her eyes were about to roll so far back into her head. “I hate you,” she said as she pushed through the castle doors with Minho chuckling behind her. They made their way through the carpeted hallway and came up to the wall between the east and west wings, and Minho did her the courtesy of knocking and opening up the portal to the outside. 

He outstretched his arm to her, and surprisingly her body acted before her mind did. She took it and they stepped into the gateway. The aroma of fresh flowers hit her nose almost instantly, and she felt revitalized right at that moment, feeling like she was home again. She pulled him over to a pomegranate tree by the poppy garden and they sat under it, enjoying the breeze that she willed to blow. 

Minho sniffed the air and closed his eyes, delighting in the atmosphere she’d set up for him, the ends of his mouth pulling up into a small smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt something like this,” he remarked. 

“I love gardens so much,” she said as she ran her hands through the poppies adjacent to her. 

“This is somewhat a stupid question, but why?”

She shrugged and angled her head in a slant. “My mother was pregnant with me when she became goddess of the Harvest, so I guess you could say I was born with it,” she explained truthfully, albeit sadly upon recalling the memory of her mother. “I just feel at home with the earth and the flowers because it makes me feel so grounded. No pun intended.” 

He laughed quietly as he shook his head once and fixed his hair. “I hope you feel a little bit better being here. It’s a little intolerable here, but I hope you understand why you were kind of dragged down.” 

“I’m starting to feel comfortable. That’s with your presence, after all,” she suddenly blurted out and she wished the ground swallowed her right there and then. “I mean… you’re one of the few people that make me feel comfortable. That’s… all.” 

He nodded as he rested on his hands behind him, his head tilting slightly up to look at the black velvet sky. “That’s a little bit surprising.” 

“I guess I know what you mean,” she said as she brought her knees to her chest and hugged her legs. “I’m sorry for being a difficult person. I know it’s hard to deal with me at times, and that I can be a little bit temperamental, but I swear I’m just doing my best not to combust on the spot.”

He closed his eyes as he looked like he drank in the pseudo-moonlight. “Growing old in the Underworld made me realize that people act according to their emotions, and sometimes those are justified, and sometimes they aren’t, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad people. I forgive you.” 

“Surprisingly wise.” 

“I try,” he said without even opening his eyes. “And I’m sorry for not being able to do anything when the gods pulled you down to the Underworld. They thought I needed a companion here, but I swear I could’ve done alright by myself.” 

She laughed a little bit as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. “So I’m just a companion to you?” she uttered suddenly and she slapped herself lightly on the cheek. It was fine because he couldn’t see it anyway. 

His eyes open as one side of his lip curls down in a reflective manner. “You’re more than that, I guess,” he says as he continues to stare at the sky, not making any eye contact with her. She noticed that he gulps down, though, before starting out with his next words. “I appreciate your presence. Not too many gods come down here with good intentions, but I’m glad you changed the way things are here.” 

“What do you mean?” she asked as she leaned her head to the side. “I haven’t really done anything substantial… it’s a little disheartening, really.” 

“The twins report back to me every day and they tell me that you talk to them,” he said. “You know that they only appear when you need them, right? They’re still wondering why they keep being summoned when the only reason why they go to you is you talking to them. It’s a little bit bizarre.” 

“Well,” she started, “I mean, they’re not just servants; they’re people, too. I enjoy talking to them.”

“They enjoy talking to you, too,” he said with a smile, looking directly into her doe-like eyes. “You may not realize it, but you can change people’s lives, even if it’s one small step by one small step.” 

Reflecting on this by mentally stroking her fake beard, she rocked back and forth on her butt, deliberating on whether she actually made a difference or not. To be honest, one of her fears was not being able to leave a mark on this world before she passed away, so hearing something like that from the god of the Underworld himself soothed her poor soul. 

Instead of trying to come up with something that will ultimately incriminate her, she leaned against the rough bark of the tree and lightly elbowed it, causing two round fruits to fall directly into her outstretched hands. Minho let out an “ooh” and she tossed one over to him, which he caught ever so gracefully, falling onto his back as he struggled to contain it in his arms. She giggled as used her nails to cut the pomegranate into sections and caught the seeds with her skirt. 

She almost fainted at the sight of Minho slowly taking off his jean jacket, rolling up his shirt sleeves, and placing the jacket on his lap. It wasn’t much but it certainly made her heart leap as she saw the toned muscles on his arms flex as he strained to section the juicy fruit in his hands. Snickering at him, she took his hands and showed him how to properly open it up. The seeds fell into his lap, but he managed to contain them there. 

Realizing that her hands were on his, and that he was staring at her the entire time, her cheeks instantly reddened at the sight of his soft smile and almond eyes burning holes in her face. “Sorry,” she said as she slowly drew her hands back. “Was just trying to help.” 

She contemplated on the nerve of the guy when he winked and said, “It’s okay. I liked it.” 

She didn’t know how else to react except to give a laugh that was just as awkward as she was, but she was definitely about to blow up right there and then. Really, the audacity to wink at her and proceed with current events like it was nothing… it was unbelievable. 

“Not to be that guy, but it gets lonely down here,” he said, not looking at her and picking at the pink pods in his lap. “I’m kind of glad you’re here.” 

“What’s up with the sudden affection? It’s so not like the Minho I know,” she said, pulling from recent memory. “The Minho I’ve come to know’s always so dark and mysterious. Always so broody and and grumpy.” 

“Why do you sound exactly like my friends?” he said as he rolled his eyes and blew out a breath. “I’m none of those things.” 

“Try as you may, but you really can’t change who you are inside,” she said with conviction. “Even if that means having to accept you being an old man.”

“An old man?” he repeated. “For your information, I am in my younger years. I haven’t even passed the halfway point of my life!” 

“If you’re older than the oldest mortal and fret most of the time, you’re definitely an old man,” she said, teasing him. “It’s alright, Minho; I accept you for who you truly are.” 

He let out another grumpy huff and popped the flesh of the fruit into his mouth, presumably to shut himself up, possibly to prevent himself from saying something that’ll prove her point. 

She let out a huge laugh as he continued to chew on his food, and clapped to herself, practically teasing him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, silently enjoying their food and each other’s company. As a visitor to the Underworld, she was a little bit glad that at the very least, someone was fond of her presence. 

In an act of solidarity, she extended her arm and held out her pinky to him. Minho, understandably confused, asked, “What’s this about?” 

“This is a pinky promise, one that pertains to how I’ll help you throughout my stay here,” she said, her finger still not drawn back. “I’ll do my best to do everything that I need to do, and do it with love. Are you game?” 

He first stared at her pinky finger and then looked over to her grinning face. Ultimately, he chose to give her an eye-disappearing grin and grab her pinky with his, locking their promise by touching their thumbs together. 

And so weeks that felt like years went by. Judging souls here, cleaning up after Cerberus there, and a multitude of tasks such as visiting the Asphodel Fields and Elysium and making sure that the twins didn’t fall into the River Lethe were scattered around those past few weeks. It was mentally, emotionally, and physically taxing, and she literally had to ask Minho to slow down while walking because she was that tired. He even had to carry her on his back, and at some point, she thinks she fell asleep. 

As with working with someone for a given period of time, the two of them get to know each other pretty well. She now knows that even though he absolutely loves Cerberus, he still can’t get over how he wants a cat, but doesn’t know where to get them. The gods don’t really give out things for free, and Minho’s terrified of asking stuff from them. In turn, Minho knows that she will practically eat any type of cheese there is and will kill for a fruit and cheese platter, which he swears that he’ll provide someday when they aren’t too busy. 

She found out, too, that Minho isn’t exactly the most mysterious and puzzling person. He started to relax once they started to get more comfortable with one another, and she recently witnessed the weirdest, clumsiest, and most random version of Minho there ever was. He would scream at the most unsystematic times just because he wanted to. He would also sip his drinks by lowering his face down to straw level and drinking without his arms. He would make the sexiest hair flips and faces for one second, and have the goofiest expressions the next. The inner machinations of his mind were an enigma, but she couldn’t help but find it endearing how he both relaxed and opened up to her. 

It was The Day now, and Felix and Jisung silently smuggled a big brown rattan basket covered with a red and white checkered blanket into her room. “Do you have the goods?” she asked in whispered tones, pointing at the basket. “Are these the goods?” 

Felix nodded as he set it down on the table in the middle of the room, the contents moving around in a snakelike fashion. “The Boss is definitely going to be surprised,” he said, grinning. “He’ll most likely be happy, too.” 

“Truly,” Jisung said. “If something makes him happy, it’s definitely this.” 

“How’d you guys get them?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I know it’s practically impossible to get them around here.”

“We got them from Changbin, one of Boss’s god friends,” Jisung supplied. “He’s not exactly the most avid fan of them, but he managed to pull some strings.” 

“Thank you, guys, from the bottom of my heart,” she said, pulling both of them into a tight hug, and the twins, it seemed, were easily surprised by physical contact because both of them didn’t exactly know where to put their hands. She laughed at this and said, “Shall we?” 

The twins nodded at her excitedly as they both led the way out of her room and into the hallway, with the goal of trudging towards the throne room without letting the surprise quite literally jump out of the basket. She tried to keep them quiet, but they just kept moving and making sounds. Eventually, they got up to the throne room and the basket went quiet. 

Jisung motioned for her to enter the atrium and she found two figures discussing something that looked important in front of the two thrones set atop a pedestal a few inches off the floor, as their brows were furrowed and they were waving their hands around quickly. Firstly, her eyes went to the unknown man wearing a jabot shirt with ruffles on the chest area and the wrist hem of the long sleeves. It looked almost ancient but also modern, but it fit him so well and hugged his slim yet built figure that Soojin couldn’t help but admire. His simple jet black jeans showed off his almost toothpick legs, and his leather shoes completed his entire outfit. 

On the other hand, her eyes drifted over to Minho who was a stark contrast when compared to the other, who was wearing a simple white t-shirt half-tucked into his black jogging pants. A plain black cap upon his head, his sneakered feet were tapping impatiently as a hard and stern expression was pinned on his face. 

She fidgeted with the strap of the basket as she awkwardly cleared her throat and the two men’s gazes snapped towards her, as if her presence surprised both of them. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted,” she said in a rush as she jerked her thumb over to where she came from. “Maybe I should just go and…” She stepped back for a little bit but she felt the twins’ hands push her back. She made a mental note to give them a playful smacking later on when she was done with her surprise. 

“No, it’s okay,” the stranger said as he stepped down from the throne and started moving towards her, his hand gracefully grasping hers as he lifted it to his lips, kissing it. Instantly, she found the pounding in her chest to be a little troublesome as she stared into his eyes which were making deadly contact with hers. She didn’t know what to do with herself when he introduced himself. “Hyunjin, god of love, beauty, and passion. At your service, Your Highness.”

“Hyunjin,” she repeated. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my mother.” 

“Good things, I hope,” he said as he let go of her hand. Her eyes darted back and forth between Minho and Hyunjin, hoping that they couldn’t hear her heart doing somersaults in her chest, but it continued to do so when Minho held her gaze and smirked at her. 

“Always good things,” she replied with a smile. “Um, if you don’t mind, I have business with the king.” 

Minho shrugged as he stepped down from his pedestal and walked over to the two of them, his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Hyunjin,” he said with full confidence. 

“Well, that’s a first.” Hyunjin scowled at his presumed acquaintance and Minho just shrugged at him.

In turn, Soojin shrugged and kneeled down and set the basket in front of them. Minho’s head cocked to the side at the same time as Hyunjin’s did, and both of them wore confused looks on their faces. 

She opened the lid of the basket and gingerly reached into it to ultimately bring out her surprise: a tabby one, a striped black one, and a cream and orange one, all wonderful and to-die-for kind of cute kittens. Minho made a noise between a gasp and a squeal as soon as he saw the tabby, which was the first one she brought out. The three cats sniffed at the carpeted floor and at Minho’s and Hyunjin’s shoes. Eventually, the two orange cats made figure eights around Minho’s legs while the striped black one seemed aloof towards everyone as it tried to unsuccessfully go back into the basket. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Hyunjin said with a slight smirk on his face, his arms crossed in front of his ruffles. 

Minho made another squeal-gasp as he kneeled down and pet all three of them at the same time, two at a time with one hand, and one with the other. He spent a few minutes enamored with the three felines, and Soojin couldn’t help but smile at how excited and in love he was with them, and how his awkward laugh came out once in a while. 

“I just thought to hold this little thing for you since you’ve been so overworked these past few weeks,” she confessed. 

“You have no idea how much I appreciate this,” he said as he looked into her eyes ever so happily and intensely. “Thank you so much.” 

She shrugged. “All in a day’s work.” Noticing that her words were definitely not heard by Minho, she realized that she was starting to see him in a different light. The way his eyes turned into crescents every time he laughed awkwardly was when her heart started beating hard inside her chest, and the way his hands tenderly caressed the cats was when she wished that her hands were in his as well. She tried quickly to shake it off, but the lingering thoughts were there. 

For some reason, something compelled her to look at Hyunjin, who was smiling mischievously at her. “Let it flow through you, Soojin,” he told her, and Soojin was scared that Minho might have heard, but the god of the Underworld was busy playing with the tabby that was nipping at his fingers. “Don’t stop the ebb and flow of the feelings inside you. I know what you’re thinking.” 

“How’d you—oh. God of love, beauty, and passion.” 

He nodded as he sighed and placed his hands on his perfectly sculpted waist. “All in a day’s work,” he said. 

“Maybe I should leave him with them,” she said as she stood up with a grunt, with Minho barely batting an eye at her.

“I’ll stay with him just to make sure he doesn’t squeeze them too hard,” he said.

“That would be great, thank you,” she said as she bowed one last time before leaving for the outside with the twins trailing beside her, almost jumping up and down.

“I’ve never seen Boss so happy,” Jisung remarked as he nudged his twin. “You think he’s gonna keep them and Cerberus?”

“Maybe he’ll let them play with each other. Who knows? I just wanna see Boss like this every day.” 

“It’s a big change from the broody old man he usually is, but getting to know him after all these weeks, he’s practically the goofiest person I know. Other than you two, of course,” she said, almost forgetting to add the last part. 

Jisung huffed, and she could see that his expression contorted into faux annoyance. “I’m not goofy.” 

“Neither am I,” Felix said defensively. 

“If you say so,” she said teasingly as the castle doors surprisingly swung open on their own. “Wow. That’s a first.” 

“That’s ‘cause Jisung finally got to fixing the gears on this thing,” Felix said, pointing up to the ceiling where a set of huge gears framed the doors. “They just needed oiling.” 

The other twin blew out a breath and brushed his fringe away from his face. “It’s hard to clean up Cerberus drool out of your hair every single day, okay? I’ve learned to take a shower at least three times a day and it still won’t come off sometimes.” 

She snorted as she continued to walk barefoot across the moat. “Well, you’re in for a treat because we’re going to the dog himself.” 

As Jisung and Felix groaned and dragged themselves towards Cerberus, Minho couldn’t help but watch the trio from his balcony as he stroked the tabby in his arms. 

“Happy?” Changbin said with one hand on Minho’s shoulder and a golden scroll in the other. “You’re welcome, by the way.” 

Minho rolled his eyes and faced his friend. “Just go and write your stupid poems, Changbin,” he said as Changbin’s smile faded from his face.

Changbin then mumbled a few words which Minho could barely hear. “Roses are red, violets are blue,” he started as he wrote them down with a quill he summoned from thin air, “I have five fingers, and the middle one is for you.” 

Clicking his tongue and facing the balcony once more, he set down the cat on the floor and it almost instantly fell asleep on his shoe. Endearing. He rested his palms on the cool marble and leaned on it as he found his eyes drifting over to the rock where Cerberus usually sat. It was a few kilometers away, but he could clearly hear how Jisung and Felix were arguing over whose turn it was on the umbrella. 

“You’re not seriously considering to keep your walls up forever, are you?” Hyunjin said from his place on the door frame leading to the balcony, his leather shoes tapping on the floor in annoyance. “You’re the real loser here, Minho.” 

Minho could practically feel Chan’s nod and embarrassed smile from a mile away. “I agree with Hyunjin. Sorry about that.” 

“Then what should I do, exactly?” he said a little impatiently as his pointer finger made unseen scratches on the ledge. “Tell me what to do and I’ll consider it.” 

“Loser,” Changbin mumbled again as he kept writing on his scroll.

“I guess what we’re saying is that if you don’t follow where your feelings are leading you, then you’re going to keep being caged in forever,” Chan summarized for his friends. “Be honest with your emotions and let them flow through you.” 

“Don’t stop the ebb and flow of the feelings inside you. I know what you’re thinking. I can feel it,” Hyunjin said, and Minho could’ve sworn he heard those words somewhere before.

He was silent for a few seconds before ultimately blowing out a sigh and hanging his head. “I’m always so dark and broody, aren’t I?” he confessed as his hands turned into fists. “I feel like… I need to be warmer. Let my true feelings decide my path.” 

“Continue,” Changbin said as he summoned a different scroll with the snap of his fingers. 

“I… I don’t know exactly what I feel just yet, but all I know is that I’m sick and tired of letting the gods decide my fate. I guess it’s time for me to move on.” 

“There’s no amount of medicine in my arsenal that could help me heal the wounds in your heart,” Changbin said, and Minho noted the slightest bit of tenderness in his words. “Only you can help yourself.”

“You’re right.” Minho looked down at the hand-sized cat who was still asleep on his shoe, and he could feel the purrs making their way into his heart, almost exploding with joy. “I—”

“Hey, Cerberus. Let me tell you something.” 

His thoughts were interrupted by Soojin’s voice ringing in his ears, and he lifted his head to see her on the ground, leaning against the three-headed dog. Cerberus was lying down with his head in his paws while Soojin sat in front of his stomach, gently caressing his fur. 

“Here we go,” Changbin said as he took a seat on the ledge, quill and silver scroll ready. 

He saw Soojin sigh and close her eyes. “Did you know that on the surface, asphodels symbolize the purity of death? Mother used to offer asphodels to the gods every time someone passed away, be it a dryad or one of our relatives,” she started. “But the interesting thing is how it also symbolizes regret.” 

“She’s got my vote on the symbolism thing,” Changbin said but Hyunjin quickly shushed him, and Minho couldn’t help but snort. 

“I’ve had so many regrets in my life, but if I had to choose, my biggest regret would be not leaving a mark on this place, even after I’m gone,” she said truthfully. “That regret would follow me to the grave, I’m sure. Well, technically the grave is here, so maybe it really would follow me here.” 

The corners of Minho’s lips tugged up a little bit at her talkativeness. She was a young goddess, after all. 

She sighed. “But after being dragged down here, I feel like my perspectives on death, and even the Underworld have changed. This is why I feel kind of sad whenever I think about the souls in Asphodel Fields and the Fields of Punishment. If it were up to me, all souls would be sent to Elysium, but I guess that wouldn’t be the wisest of choices, would it?” she said. “But I guess everyone has their place. Everyone leads their lives differently, and it’s ultimately up to them how to do it. if they don’t live their lives to the fullest, then what’s the use of life, right? You’re better off dead, I guess.”

Minho felt himself nod at her naïvety and her thought process. She still needed time to mature, but he felt she was on the right track. 

“I kind of learned that from your owner, you know,” she started, and Hyunjin punched Minho on the shoulder, prompting an “ow” from the god of the Underworld. “I kind of want to be like him; leaving a mark on the world, I mean. He’s done so much for the dead here. He doesn’t want to acknowledge it because he thinks it’s a punishment, but I think he’s done a lot of good. I mean, he’s so goofy sometimes but he’s also really dark, like, hello? What a weird series of emotions. It’s like he’s constantly at war with himself.” 

“I’m with her on this one,” Hyunjin said, smiling. “I think she knows you better than you know yourself. What an interesting trait.” 

She stretched her limbs and yawned, positioning herself so that she was lying down on the ground, with no care if she got dirty at all. Perhaps it was because the earth was where she felt the safest, which was probably why she was barefoot all the time. “Well, I’m going to nap for a bit. Don’t drool on me now, Cerberus. Good day.” And then she closed her eyes and was off to dreamland. 

“Now, that was one hell of a wake-up call, wasn’t it?” Chan said, clapping his hands once. “I think it’s time.” 

“So do I,” Minho said. “I’ll work towards my goal. Just watch me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a long one :^) I'M SORRY SKJDSJD more parts to be uploaded when I finish them ahu please wait patiently for those! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HATE SLOW BURN STORIES I AM GOING TO VOMIT just kidding I suck at writing them, but expect more fluff in the next chapter!! I hope I satisfy ur ~*needs*~

Her eyes slowly flutter open and the pillow under her head was almost too soft to keep her lying down.

Except she was outside and she didn’t remember packing a pillow with her.

“Don’t get up just yet,” Minho said in hushed tones, his eyes closed and his head leaning against Cerberus’s sleeping body. 

There was nothing innately wrong with finding herself lying down on Minho’s lap in the middle of the Underworld, but there was something unsettling about it. Just a bit. She was about to get up when the words finally registered in her brain, and she chose to follow him and stay down. 

“So… creepy, broody, sulky. What else should I be calling you?” she joked, and she heard Minho laugh out a big one. “You didn’t have to put me on your lap, you know.” 

“Well, you were talking in your sleep. You were complaining about how uneven the ground was, and when I carried you into my lap, you almost instantly fell asleep,” he explained. “I’m just an old man trying to help.” 

She snorted. “So you admit you’re an old man?” 

“Maybe.”

“You are, though.” 

“Again, maybe.” 

“If you say so.” She made herself a little bit more comfortable and closed her eyes. It was a stark contrast to the usually shy Minho that she’d been spending time with, but it was a nice surprise, she guessed. 

Minho blew out a breath and said, “I heard what you said about me when you were talking to Cerberus. I really hope you don’t mind that I listened in to the conversation.” 

“I knew you were creepy from the very start.” 

“No, no, I wasn’t trying to be creepy. I—”

Soojin laughed softly and got up from her position on Minho’s lap. “I know you weren’t, you silly goose. It’s fine, really, and even if you didn’t hear the conversation, I would’ve said it to your face anyway. You’re a good person, Minho, and I wouldn’t trade your personality for anything in the world.”

“That’s surprisingly heartwarming,” he said, clearly surprised, as he just said. “You really like speaking your mind, don’t you?” 

She shrugged. “I’ve got no filter, I suppose. It’s a bad thing.” 

“No, no, I like it,” he said, and Soojin could hear the truthfulness in his voice, and see the sincerity in his ear-to-ear smile. “It’s a little bit peculiar, but what can I say? Coming from a broody person, I guess that’s one hell of a compliment.” 

“It surely is,” she said with a small smile, her eyes turning into small crescents. In small silence, they stared at each other for a little bit until Minho cleared his throat as his cheeks suddenly pinkened. “You alright there, good sir?” 

He snorted but didn’t say anything. Instead, he got on his tippy toes and peered over Cerberus’s chunky body, his perfectly chocolate brown eyes scanning the rivers below them. Silently, his gaze shifted from Elysium to the River Lethe to the castle. It was almost as if he was looking for something. 

“Well, if you don’t mind,” she started, getting up from her seat, “I’m gonna go to—”

He suddenly shushed her, his eyes never leaving one spot. He motioned for her to come to him, and she did as he asked. She tapped the ground once with her bare foot and a slab of earth served as a stepping stone so that she could look at the scene over Cerberus’s sleeping figure. Without a word, he pointed over at the River Lethe, where two souls seemed to be walking along the riverbank. 

“What’s this about?” she asked. She was about to go insane with how curious Minho was making her. 

“Do you remember what I told you about the River Lethe?” he asked her without taking his eyes off of the two souls. 

She nodded. “Souls drink from the River Lethe in order to forget memories of the past, in order to lead new lives. I’m assuming that they’re going to be reborn after this?”

“Yep,” he said. “But these two souls are interesting. I’ve been watching them for a while now.”

“Again with the snooping.”

“Not my fault they’re so intriguing,” he said with a wolfish grin. “You’ll see what I mean.” 

She rolled her eyes playfully as she continued to watch the two souls. She realized that they were holding hands all this time as they strolled along the bank. They didn’t have any tangible human forms; they were simply human-shaped wisps at this point, but she could still see that their smoky hands were held tight in each other’s grasps. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she heard one of the souls say. “I don’t really want to do this…” 

“Of course it’s a good idea,” the other soul said. “I told you I’ve been ready to drink from the river ever since you got here, love.” 

So they’re lovers, Soojin guessed. Why did Minho want me to see this, though?

The other wisp nodded. “I guess it’ll be okay.” Soojin saw the same soul pause for a few moments before bending down and staring into the river’s aquamarine depths. “How do you know we’ll find each other again?” 

“I just know,” the other soul said. “Love, I told you to trust in me. Do you still?” 

She saw the pensive soul nod ever so slightly. “I’m scared.” 

“I understand,” the other soul said. “But we still have to do this together. I’m not afraid of drinking from the river, knowing that you’ll be waiting for me on the other side of this life.”

Soojin’s hand went over to clasp her mouth as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Her heart swelled with turbulent emotions as she continued to watch them. It was all she ever wanted from this world; courage, kindness, and love, and she saw them in just a couple of lovers in the Underworld, a place where she thought she would never find true love. 

“If you say so,” the soul kneeling down said. “I’m still… on the fence about it.”

“Don’t be. I’m here,” the other one said as it kneeled down and held the scared soul’s hand. “If anything, it’s because I love you that I’m doing this. It’s for you and with you, and that’s all I ever want things to be.” 

The soul nodded. “It’s enough that you love me.” It took a deep breath before dipping its hand in the river, the hand glowing with a bright golden light. “I’m ready.” 

The two souls looked at each other with fondness and Soojin couldn’t help but cry. Even without the expressions on their faces and even without them saying it, she could feel their literal undying love for each other. She watched them dip their hands into the river and bring the water up to their lips in order for them to drink from the River Lethe, and before she knew it, their bodies turned from wisps into balls of light that playfully interacted with each other, pushing each other here and there. The glowing orbs slowly faded away and Soojin was left a crying mess on the Underworld floor.

Minho managed a small smile as he bent down and took the crying Soojin into his arms, stroking her ash brown hair and slightly laughing at her. “You poor thing,” he commented.

“Stop making fun of me,” she said in between sobs, and Minho continued to laugh at her. “It’s not funny!” 

“It really isn’t funny. It’s moving,” he said. “I told you they were interesting.” 

“You didn’t mention it would be this happy and this sad at the same time,” she complained. “This isn’t fair! You knew this was going to happen and I didn’t!” 

Again, he laughed at her. “That’s the beauty of some things, them being unexpected. Come on, you know that much.”

“I know,” she whined as she placed her crying face into her hands. “This isn’t funny.”

He blew out a breath and continued to caress her hair ever so softly. It was so soothing, almost as if Minho had done this a million times. She may or may not have fallen asleep for one second after she stopped ugly crying. It was embarrassing, but she really couldn’t control her emotions. “It’ll be okay,” he said quietly. “It’ll be okay.” 

She sniffed one last time and freed herself from his arms. She carefully wiped the tears from her face and straightened her white flowy dress out to have some type of order in her chaotic life. “Wow. To find a love like that. I wonder how to do it,” she said as she tried to contain her sniffles. 

“It’s difficult, I’m sure.” 

“It really is,” she said, hugging her legs. “I’ve tried for so many years up on the surface, but no one ever really stood out to me. Everyone’s either too misogynistic, arrogant, or just plain not enough for me at all.” 

“Sounds like you’ve got high standards.” 

“They’re normal standards,” she said without looking at him. “It’s mandatory for a person to be kind, and it’s optional to be a horrible person. Lots of horrible people roam around this earth and it’s difficult to find someone who isn’t so bad.” 

Surprisingly, Minho bent down and met her at eye-level, his said eyes meeting hers warmly. “What about me? Am I a bad person?” 

“Of course not! What in the gods’ names are you talking about?” she said, bewildered. “You’re definitely a nice person. Miles away from what I thought about you the first time I got here, and it’s always been a pleasant surprise.” 

He nodded then ruffled her hair, something she thought was a little bit endearing. “Thanks. I needed that.” A small period of silence was shared between them as Soojin became a little bit more emotional when a few thoughts crossed her mind, just after he messed up her hair. “What’s wrong?” 

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. Nothing important.” 

“You make it sound like it’s not, but I know it is. Anything that concerns you concerns me too, you know,” he said matter-of-factly. “You can tell me.” 

It took a few moments before she fessed up. “I miss my siblings,” she said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them and I’m getting homesick. A lot homesick. I’ve never been away from them for this long, and when you did that thing, it reminded me of how Woojin always did that to me.”

Minho looked a little bit surprised for a second. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” 

She shook her head at him. “It’s alright. I just miss them. That’s all.” 

“You’ll see them in a few months,” he said softly. “Your time here won’t last that long, anyway.” 

Her head snapped up to look at him, clearly astonished at what he’d just said. “A few months? I thought I was to stay here forever.” 

“What? No!” he said. “The gods are cruel, but they wouldn’t do that to a young goddess such as you. You’re only to stay here for a few months to let winter on the surface come, and when you come back up, spring will rise again. It’s the gods’ way of cycling through the new seasons.” 

“So you’re saying I’m going to see my brothers in a few months?”

“Yep,” he said, smiling brightly at her. “You just need to wait for a couple more months.”

She looked at Minho’s instantly shining face then smiled, and looked past him to scan the area around her. The entire place was dreary, but in her heart, she’d slowly gotten used to it. This place was starting to feel like home thanks to Minho, but that didn’t change her relationship with her brothers. “This place isn’t so bad after all,” she whispered, to which Minho slightly chuckled at. “Is there anything else we need to do?” 

He cocked his head to the side and gave her a confused expression. “So suddenly? Why do you ask?” 

“I guess I just needed to clear my head after these tiring months of working,” she said. “I mean, it’s nothing compared to what you do, but it’s been tiring for me. I just want to get things done and at least leave some kind of mark around here before I leave for the next season.” 

“How many times have I told you that you’ve already left a mark here in the Underworld? I mean, you’ve already changed my perspective on the dead; you’ve helped me with my work here; hell, you’ve even changed the twins’ lives throughout the times you’ve talked to them. Leaving a mark doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do it in a grand way. Leaving a mark sometimes means doing little things towards a bigger goal, and I myself think you’ve done that.” 

“Sounds wise.” 

“Maybe it is.” 

“Maybe,” she said with a short laugh. “Thanks for that. I really needed that pep talk.”

His shoulders lifted up into a shrug. “All in a day’s work,” he said with a grunt as he stood up from his position and held out his hand to her. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

Nodding and smiling, she took his hand and they were off to judge souls entering the Underworld. It was a tough job, but they managed to get through the day without losing too many braincells. None of them seem difficult to judge, especially with Minho’s resolve and quick yet fair judgment, though sometimes she felt like a wallflower because she was a little bit too innocent to figure out how to judge them properly. Instead, for most of the time, she watched him with a close eye. Sometimes, maybe a little bit too close. 

It was something about Minho that was so… tempestuous yet… right. There were times when he’d be gentle, but also times when he’d be firm. He turns into an absolute soft little boy around her, but with the others, he remains his usual broody yet sturdy self. It was adorable and loving to say the least, but she didn’t know what exactly to do with this information. In turn, however, she decided to warm up to him better. She was a snotty little brat during her first few days here in the Underworld, but she learned how to be a better person, and maybe, just hopefully, Minho had learned that from her as well.

A few more weeks passed and she found herself alone more often than not. She found herself fatigued over the smallest tasks that not even the flowers in the garden could undo the tiredness. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t seen the twins in a long time. That, or Minho had been busier than ever considering that the gods had apparently smitten down an entire village yet again, sending a literal ton of souls into the Underworld. She knew she should help him, but sometimes the judging was a little bit too difficult that she couldn’t keep up with him. 

It was pathetic that instead of helping him out, she holed herself up in her room and took hour long baths, thinking about how badly she wanted to go home. As she doused her big toe in the running water and played with the bubbles in her hand, she thought about how she could help Minho with the tasks he usually performed by himself, mostly because she’s been doing next to nothing this entire time. 

She got out of the bathtub and put on a robe. She walked over to the balcony overlooking the entire Underworld and took a peek at how Minho was sitting atop the highest rock, surveying the area around him yet again. The rock was a few kilometers away from her balcony, but the only thing she could see was him. 

She didn’t know where that came from exactly. Gods, it was what she’d been feeling for a while, but she still didn’t know what to do with it. It was turmoil and she didn’t know what to do. At all. 

Hearing someone yawn behind her, she quickly drew the curtains and faced the person the sound came from. “Jisung, Felix,” she said, greeting the two of them with a sad and confused smile. “Haven’t seen you guys in the longest time.” 

“We had to do the Boss’s work,” Jisung explained, stifling a yawn. “It’s rare that we ever get to do it, but hey, here we are.” 

She fidgeted with the hem of the sleeves of her bathrobe, and chewed on her lips in annoyance with herself and anxiety with current events and feelings. “Has Minho said anything?” 

“He’s been saying a lot, alright,” Felix said, stretching his limbs from side to side. “He’s been barking orders non-stop and telling us to check up on you at the same time. We can’t do both at the same time, of course, but hey, here we are.”

She nodded and her head turned back to where Minho was supposedly overseeing processes. Sighing, she finally had the courage to speak her feelings. “Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you guys about,” she started. “What do you guys know about Minho and what he’s been saying about me?” 

“What do you mean?” Felix asked. “I don’t exactly know what you’re asking, but from what I’ve heard from him, they’re all good things.”

Jisung nodded at his twin. “He’s never spoken ill about you at all.”

“Hmm,” she hummed, still not knowing what to say in order to slightly mask her true feelings. “I’m… thankful to him and all, but there’s something I don’t quite understand about him.” 

Jisung’s head cocked to the side, his face contorting into a confused expression. “What is it?” 

“Why me?” she said, not meeting their eyes. “It’s been puzzling how he’s always hanging out with me even when he doesn’t need to. He even set aside his duties to talk to me for a few minutes, something that he really shouldn’t do, even for any god or goddess. I’ve been mulling it over for how long now, and I still don’t have the answer.”

The twins listened in by focusing all their attention on her as they sat on her bed, just looking at her so intently that she felt their gazes would burn holes in her. She noted that Felix was still a little bit stumped by her questions and thoughts, while Jisung remained somewhat stoic, probably trying to understand her as well. 

“There’s nothing greatly interesting about me. Nothing of importance. I just don’t get why he would force himself to keep me around. I’m gonna be out in a couple of months anyway, so why does my presence matter?” 

Jisung blew out a breath and Soojin swore she almost saw him roll his eyes. “Firstly, you’re not nothing,” he started. “You’ve been a great friend to Felix and I, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Second of all, maybe the Boss is thankful to you, too,” Felix continued. “Maybe he found a friend in you, just like how he is with Hyunjin, Changbin, and Chan. He probably enjoys your company more than theirs, anyway.” Felix almost didn’t get to finish his sentence when Jisung elbowed him in the ribs, clearly trying to silence him. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, more perplexed than ever. 

“What Felix means is that Boss has done a lot for you, which probably means you’re an important person to him,” Jisung answered. “The Boss may have his own reasons why he chooses you, but I’m pretty sure it’s to never deny that you’ve become a huge presence in his life. Even Felix and I can see it.” 

Felix nodded, saying, “There were times when he sensed that you needed us even before we sensed it. Remember the first time you rode on a horse to see him? He actually sent the horse beforehand because he knew you were ready to talk to him.” 

“Also, the Elysian Fields is a place that he doesn’t usually show to the gods,” Jisung supplied. “You’re one of the special ones.” 

“We know it still doesn’t answer the question of why it’s you he chooses to spend his time with, and we’re sure the Boss has his reasons, but there’s no way it’s because you’re not important to him,” the other twin replied. “You’ll be fine. We know it.” 

Both of the twins flashed her wolfish grins while she pondered on the twins’ answers. It was true. She felt that she was an important person in his life, considering the time that they’ve spent together, and that she’d found a good friend in him.

A friend, huh, a voice in her head said. She physically flinched and cringed at the passing thought, considering that she didn’t really look at him that way.

Or did she? Would it explain the disarray of thoughts and questions inside her head? Would it explain why she was so eager to have her queries answered right at that instant? Would it finally put her at ease?

“Gods,” she cursed. “This is making me feel a lot of things. But thank you, you guys. It really helped talking to you about this.” 

“We’re literally here to help,” Felix joked, and she couldn’t prevent her small laugh. 

She sighed as her shoulders slumped. “I think I need to talk to Minho,” she said with finality. “I may have to put these questions to rest.”

“I think the Boss needs to talk to you, too,” Felix said, “because he’s literally outside the door right now.” 

As if on cue, three knocks echoed throughout the entirety of the room. She was about to panic when she saw the twins’ expectant faces, just like two little kids excited to go to school. Sighing, and totally forgetting that she was still in a robe, she opened the double doors to see Minho in a red silken top and a long black ribbon choker around his slender neck, black pants and black leather shoes paired with them. It’s like he was dressed to kill Soojin with his stellar looks, and he may or may not have achieved his supposed goal. 

Was this the moment she looked at him in a different light? The question is: did he feel the same way, too?

Flustered with his cheeks almost beet red, he raised his hands and said, “I-I didn’t mean to catch you unready.” 

Her eyes widened as she looked down to see herself still in the fluffy pastel pink robe, so she cleared her throat and tried to pass it off as something intentional. “It’s alright. I didn’t think you were going to come and visit me, anyway,” she said, and she blew out a sigh of relief inside her head. “What’s up?” 

He, too, cleared his throat and he fumbled with his black choker. “I was just wondering if you’d like to come with me to watch the dryads and the nymphs later tonight,” he said in a rush, as if he rehearsed it and was trying to not forget the words. 

“Dryads and nymphs? Here in the Underworld?” 

“They usually come at the tail-end of spring,” he explained. “Usually they just offer flowers to me, but since they found out that there’s a garden here, and that the goddess of spring is also here, they asked me for permission if they could hold a small celebration to signal the end of spring and the beginning of winter.”

She gasped excitedly, squealed, and jumped up and down. Definitely not excited. Nope. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen tree nymphs,” she said. 

“So, would you like to come with me?” he asked again, though hesitantly this time. “I’m not very good company, but I’d love it if you came.” 

“With you?”

“Yes.”

“Like, on a date?”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Of course I’ll go with you! This is going to be a fun night.” 

“Then I’ll pick you up in an hour or so,” he said. “I’ll see you later?”

She nodded. “Definitely.” And with that, Minho’s steps reverberated around the hallways as he stepped out of her room and back into the shadowy castle. After she closed the double doors and leaned on them, she found herself almost breathless. She couldn’t believe she’d said that in front of Minho himself, and she couldn’t believe the audacity she had to just assume that it was going to be a date. What had gotten into her?

“I see what’s going on now,” Jisung said, approaching her with one eyebrow up and arms crossed in front of him, a naughty look plastered on his face. “I definitely see what’s going on now.” 

“So do I,” Felix said, his eyes turning into crescents and his mouth turning into a smiling half-moon shape. “You like the Boss.” 

“I do not!” she said defensively. “And even if I did, he won’t feel the same way.” 

Jisung shrugged, maintaining the same annoying look on his face. “Who knows? Maybe he does feel the same way and you’re both just lying to yourselves, thinking that the other person probably doesn’t like you back.”

“That’s extremely specific,” she remarked.

“He’s a specific man,” Felix replied.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, you’re not,” Felix said with another grin. 

“Okay,” she said, “that’s quite enough of this whole liking each other thing. This is getting out of hand. I’m going to go get dressed—”

“For your date,” Jisung interrupted.

“—and forget that this conversation ever happened between us. You can leave me alone now.” 

Felix snorted as the twins made their way towards the double doors behind her. “We can leave you alone, alright.” 

“That’s to say we won’t leave you alone, by the way, if that wasn’t clear enough for you yet.”

“Goodbye, Jisung and Felix.” 

“Goodbye!” the two of them said at the same time, and they bickered with each other until their words disappeared down the hallway along with their shadows. 

She scratched her head in irritation and at the same time uncertainty. Looking for a dress to wear for the event, she rifled through the clothes—even her thoughts—to make sense of what the twins had just mocked her with. However, paying attention to the clothes now was the least of her concerns considering the possibility that she may or may not have feelings for the god of the Underworld, who was currently asking her out on a pseudo-date and definitely not having feelings for her in any way possible. Lovely. 

“You’re way in over your head, goddess,” she said to herself as she picked out a terracotta colored gown. It had a sweetheart neckline with off-shoulder sleeves, and dotted tulle fabric with an inner lining made of crepe fabric. It had ruffles along the sleeves and the bottom hem of the dress which just reached her toes, just enough to not make her trip along the way. She sighed as she laid down the dress on her bed and took off her robe. She slowly put on the dress and zipped the back, then moved over to the bathroom on the right to look at herself. 

“You look beautiful,” she said to herself, “but you look horrible on the inside.” She sighed as she stepped away from the mirror and sat down in the middle of the room. Groaning to herself, she set her feet up on the table and thought about what she should do with the brand new information she’d just gotten, that she might actually like Minho. 

“Nope, nope, nope,” she said as she physically waved off the thought. “I don’t like him, and he doesn’t like me. Let it stay that way.” She moaned to herself again and got off the chair, finding that she couldn’t stay still at all, and that her emotions were causing her to ruffle her hair in exasperation.

Looking over her balcony once again, she noticed that there was an influx of spirits coming in from the entrance of the Underworld, many of which were dryads and different kinds of nymphs. It was a weird sight to see. Their varied colors—from white to pink to green to yellow—were sharply alienated from the weary souls surrounding them. She swore she saw a group of nymphs shaking in fear as they crossed the river of souls. It was a little bit funny and a little bit disconcerting, too. For all the months she’d spent down here, she’d been desensitized to the idea and the look of death, and it wasn’t worrying or anything; it’s just that she was taught by Minho that death wasn’t something to be scared of if you had already left your mark on the world above. Easier said than done, but it was true. 

A half hour of tossing and turning in her bed later, there were three raps on the double doors that resounded around the room. She walked over to the exit and braced herself for the person behind the door. “You’ve got this,” she said, pep-talking herself. “You don’t like him, and he doesn’t like you. You don’t like him, and he doesn’t like you. You like him—gods damn it.” 

Instead of focusing on her inner turmoil once again, she groaned and rolled her eyes at her own confusion and opened the double doors to reveal Minho’s built figure, but this time, it looked like he did his hair and actually put some makeup on. His eyes were a little bit more defined and his eyelashes looked like they were curled up to the gods on the surface. His lips were a little bit more pink now, and his entire face looked like it was glowing from the inside. His hair was a different story. The hair on his head parted off to the side to make way for his stunning forehead, a feature that Soojin had never seen before. It was weird for her to get excited over it, but he looked absolutely stunning. 

“Wow,” they said at the same time, and they awkwardly laughed at the same time, too. 

“You look… really nice,” he said with a cough in between his words. 

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said confidently with a lopsided smile. She cursed the gods yet prayed to them so that her heart would stop doing somersaults in her chest. “You put makeup on, I see.” 

He shrugged. “Gotta look presentable in front of the visitors, y’know,” he said simply. “Is it too much?” 

“Nah, you look pretty good.” Pretty good? That was such an understatement for how he actually looked in her eyes. He was looking brighter than usual. He was looking more handsome than usual. “I mean that in the highest way possible.” 

“Pretty good, huh,” he said to himself. “Well, we’ve got no time to keep complimenting each other on our looks, so I think we’ll have to go now.” Soojin’s heart started beating once more when he held out his hand for her to take, and when she did, she found herself intertwining her fingers with his. Even Minho looked completely shocked by this, but he found himself smiling and squeezing her hand comfortingly once in a while as they walked towards the garden. 

They walked in silence for a good half of the way when she blew out a breath as they climbed down the stairs to the main wing of the castle. “This is going to be nerve-wracking, seeing all these spirits again,” she admitted.

Nodding at her and squeezing her hand once more, he said, “I could smell your nervousness from a mile away, but don’t worry; everything will be okay. I can take the reins if you want.” 

“I appreciate that, but I should learn how to walk with my own two feet.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t like.” 

She snorted as they stopped in the middle of the foyer wall, readying themselves to face the crowd. “I’ll be okay, I guess,” she said, and sighed once more. “I’m just… not used to this anymore.” 

“You’ll be fine. If there’s anything I learned from you, it’s to wing it and do it in the best way possible,” he said with a small smile. Surprisingly, he brushed a strand away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, and the color red quickly spread throughout her face, covering even the ear that he had just touched. She couldn’t take this anymore. She would combust any minute now. She would absolutely, completely combust. “Again, you’ll be fine. I believe in you.” 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

She sucked in a huge breath and blew it out to calm her nerves and steel herself to face the dryads and the nymphs. With Minho by her side, she would most likely get over her nerves and be able to speak freely to her subjects. She was a queen, after all, but she was an ordinary goddess before all that. 

Holding tightly onto their clasped fingers one more time, she nodded and said, “Okay. Let’s do this.” 

He smiled brilliantly at her before placing his hand on the wall, triggering the portal to open. Together, they stepped through the gateway and faced the hundreds of dryads and nymphs that were cheering and clapping for the two of them, and Soojin couldn’t help but beam at them. It was a touching moment for her, considering that most of them were old friends up on the surface, and that they hadn’t forgotten about her one bit. 

She saw Chan watching from the audience giving her a big thumbs up and an even bigger smile, so she couldn’t help but laugh endearingly at him. A smattering of Minho’s god friends were off to Chan’s side, and they were watching her and Minho ever so intently, to the point that she thought their gazes would burn holes in her red dress. She noted that Hyunjin wasn’t looking at her per se but at their hands holding each other, with a troublesome smile on his face. Soojin gulped and hoped he didn’t focus on it too much because she’d be in a lot of trouble if he did. 

She saw the twins off to one side of the crowd, with Felix sitting atop Jisung’s strong shoulders, with Jisung’s sheer will probably the only thing holding his twin up.

“Welcome to our friends from the surface,” Minho said as the cheering started to die down. “It is with great honor and joy that we host your presence here. I am Lee Minho, the god of the Underworld, forever at your service.” 

When Minho bowed slightly with his fist crossing the left part of his chest, he squeezed her hand once, and she swore she saw Hyunjin giggle. “And I am Kim Soojin, queen of the Underworld,” she said, curtsying ballerina-style as the both of them got up at the same time. “Welcome, friends and family, to the Underworld. It makes me overjoyed to see old and new faces in the crowd, and it makes me even happier to know that you have visited this place to honor my affinity, the Spring.” 

“We warmly take you into our world.” 

It took a while before Soojin said anything, and the smallest period of awkward silence was shared between her and the people surrounding her. Instead of backing down, she decided to speak her mind. “To say we are thrilled is an understatement,” she started. “I have been hearing whispers of the day I come back to the surface in order to bring back spring, and I can assure you that there will come the day when you will feel the rays of the sun upon your faces once more.

“There have been times here when I have stumbled and struggled with a variety of different things, and I knew I had to draw strength from the people around me, but I felt that it wasn’t enough. There have been times when I wasn’t enough,” she said dejectedly, but she knew she had to look at Minho’s amazed expression, the twins’ sobbing, and the gods’ smiling faces. “But what I learned from the people around me is that feeling good about your successes is not enough, but persevering through them. Struggles strengthen you. What you do with your struggles, when you get through them, when you decide not to surrender… that is strength. And I hope this lesson is what you take with you to all your lives. Thank you.”

The crowd erupted into applause and whoops, and she couldn’t help but feel breathless after she ended her speech. It was the answer to all the questions she’d been asking herself and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized it sooner. Practically feeling Minho’s pride at her speech, she turned to look at him and wasn’t surprised when he was smiling broadly at her. In turn, she squeezed his hand and looked back at the cheering crowd. 

“Let the celebration commence!” Minho boomed, and the people shrieked once more. 

Before she knew it, the nymphs color coded their places in the garden; pink by the pomegranate trees, blue by the pond, green by the entrance to the garden, white to the north, and the yellow ones in the middle. The air was filled with tinkling noises as the dryads and nymphs flew around, and it was music to her ears. Once the spirits took their places, one dryad blew a horn shaped like a cornucopia—that, or a round shell—and the dances started. 

Some dryads off to the side—a woodland symphony—started playing their instruments: the harp, xylophone, makeshift drum, wood pipes, and double flute. The double flute started the piece, with the notes jumping up and down, here and there, and it was quite literally music to her ears. The rest of the instruments then joined in, and the nymphs started hopping in mid-air, as if with every step there was a stepping stone they would jump off of. They moved in a double helix style, stretching up into the far heavens, and she realized they were creating a dome with a pointy tip, and when they did, the entire castle was almost drowned in sparkles. 

From the sparks that rained down came up a small reddish orange poppy flower that bloomed and got bigger and bigger until it was around twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide. The nymphs twirled and swayed with the wind that they made as they danced around the flower. As they continued to do so, she saw the petals started to be covered in the same glitter that the nymphs produced, and she watched the flower glow from the inside, and ultimately explode into a shower of rainbow mist. 

She found herself in awe of what she had just witnessed, so much so that she didn’t think twice about letting go of Minho’s hand and running towards the middle of the entire dome, dancing and doing pirouettes under the sparks and rainbows. She laughed and bathed herself in the pseudo-moonlight and raised her arms to the sky to catch all the sparkles possible. After a few more minutes of dancing with the nymphs surrounding her, she found herself somewhat tired, so she dropped to the ground on her back, only to be caught by the softness of the flowers below her. 

As Minho watched her enjoy herself, he found himself with a wide grin on his face, knowing that she liked his gift very much. Totally ignoring the fact that his heart was beating fiercely inside his chest, he observed her just lying down in the middle of the garden, her chest heaving up and down from all the dancing she’d just done. Lovingly he looked at her, and intensely he felt for her. 

“You lover boy, you,” Hyunjin said, suddenly appearing by his side and pinching his cheeks. 

“Hey,” Minho complained, “I am no lover boy.”

“‘The lot was cast and then I drew, and Fortune said it should be you,’” Changbin recited as he joined in with the cheek pinching. “Even I can see how you’re looking at her, Minho, and I deduce that it’s with L-O-V-E.” 

Minho rolled his eyes. “You’re right; I do look at her with L-O-V-E, but it’s with the love for a friend,” he said simply, and he knew it was a lie when his heart started pounding against his chest. “You ninnies are just too dumb to understand platonic love.” 

“You’re really saying that to the god of love and beauty?” Chan said hesitantly, though Minho knew that Chan knew what he was talking about. 

“Chan’s right,” Hyunjin said. “I know love when I see it, and I definitely see it in you and her.”

“You’re screwing me over,” Minho said in reply. “If what you say is true, it would be a problem when she goes through the portal to the surface, and where would that lead me? To be heartbroken, I’m sure.” 

The three were silent for a while as they mulled it over. What Minho said was true, and they knew it. “You do know that’s not what matters right now, don’t you?” Hyunjin said after a while. “What matters is that you do what you can to make her stay memorable. No pun intended.” 

“What Hyunjin said is true,” Chan said dejectedly, though truthfully. “You should live your life as if it was your last day on this world, and maybe you should do the same with the queen.” 

Minho shook his head and snorted in a self-deprecating manner. “Even if I did that, I swear to you that she won’t feel the same way I do. Hypothetically,” he added in a rush. “I don’t like her in that way, and she doesn’t like me in that way either. It’s as simple as that.” 

“How do you know she doesn’t like you back?” Changbin asked. 

“I just know, y’know?” he said, even though it confused him more. “She’s young and she’s carefree. She doesn’t need anyone like me; she needs to live her life on her own in order to grow, and she won’t want me, a broody old man, by her side.” 

“What if she thinks the same way, Minho?” Hyunjin asked. “How long will it take you to realize that she is, indeed, a great goddess who would actually want you by her side? What if what she wanted was you?” 

He sighed and faced them directly. “Look, she’s someone I respect, and I have to respect myself, too. Once she leaves the Underworld, she’ll be better off on the surface where she can find another suitor to have by her side, someone that’s not me. In terms of respecting myself, I have to keep my boundaries in order not to get hurt by the end of her stay, alright?” 

“That’s cowardly,” Chan mumbled, but Minho heard it. It was true, what Chan said, but Minho couldn’t help but resort to his cowardice. It was probably for the best, anyway, because her siblings would probably beat him up, and her mother would probably curse him for the rest of his life, and those were just afterthoughts. 

“I’m a coward who thinks,” he said defensively. “It’s for her, anyway.” 

“Think about yourself once in a while,” Hyunjin said comfortingly. “It’ll do you more good.” 

“If I think about myself too much, then it’ll just hurt the people around me,” Minho said simply. 

“If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll hurt the people around you,” Changbin said. “Look, I don’t have any medicine that can cure wounds deep in your heart, but all I can offer is advice that’ll serve as temporary bandages. If you don’t want to heed our advice, then it’s really up to you on how to heal. Not saying your way is wrong, but… y’know.” 

Minho blew out a breath and crossed his arms. “What is it about you guys and pushing me towards Soojin?” 

Chan simply smiled slightly at him and said, “She’s all you have aside from us, you know.”

“What good will that do me?” 

“Liking and loving her? Lots of things,” Changbin said simply. “It’s a high stakes kind of thing, because if you do it, you either end up in true love or in heartbreak. Either way, is it so bad?” 

“Wow,” Hyunjin said, clearly amused by the god of medicine’s reply, “it’s like you know things better than I do.”

Changbin shrugged and said, “All in a day’s work, my friend.” 

“He’s right, though,” Chan said. 

“God, all your bickering is ringing in my ears,” Minho complained as he scowled at the three of them. “Is that all you guys ever do?” 

“That’s because you never listen!” Hyunjin complained back at him, raising his arms in frustration, although exaggeratedly. To be honest, everything Hyunjin did was an exaggeration. “You’re so contradictory, Minho.” 

Chan sighed and placed his hands behind his back. “Look, I’m going to lay it all out for you.”

“Oh no,” Changbin said, his eyes widening. “You know Chan’s about to lay down some hard advice when he does that hands thing.” 

“Humor me,” Minho challenged. 

“What you’re feeling is more than just platonic love for this girl. If you don’t realize that sooner, your heart will keep denying the fact and you’re going to end up in a cycle of emotions that you never really wanted in the first place,” Chan started. “If you’re not honest with your feelings, you really are going to end up with more heartbreak. If you don’t take the chance and confess to her, then you’ll end up with even more what ifs.”

Minho stirred the thoughts in his mind before coming up with a question he knew Chan wouldn’t like. “What makes you think I want to confess to her?” 

“Because we see the way you look at her, and that you’ve never looked at anyone—goddess nor mortal—like that,” Chan replied, as if it was so simple. “With all the time you’ve spent with each other, I’m surprised you haven’t confessed to her yet. You’ve definitely become warmer towards her, and your perspectives have changed. If coming out of your shell isn’t telling of your love for her, then I don’t know what is.” 

Drumming his fingers against his pants, he sighed in defeat and said, “You win.”

“Thank you,” Chan said. 

“What am I going to do when she leaves? Won’t I just end up in even more heartbreak?” 

“Not if you do everything you can to make her stay more memorable. Again, no pun intended,” Hyunjin explained. “Spend as much time with her as you can down here, and I know you’ll be able to get through whatever hardship comes your way. Just trust me.” 

“After all, she did say that when you don’t surrender, that’s what strength is,” Chan supplied for him. “All you have to do is persevere, and that’ll be enough for her. Trust in her words.”

Staying still for a moment, he observed her crescent eyes as the nymphs and dryads started braiding her hair and placing different kinds of small flowers in between the ash brown strands. One young dryad offered her a young rose, and she gratefully took it, beaming brightly at them. He noticed just how beautiful she was, bathing in the pseudo-moonlight, shining in all her glory, smiling as if she had no care in the world. As if she sensed that he was looking at her, her head turned to where he was standing, and she threw a bright grin at him, and he couldn’t help but give her the smallest of smiles back, and right there and then, he knew.

Minho surrendered to his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was also p long :^) and slow :^) I should really put more conversation in these chapters, so just wait!! Thank u for reading TT_TT


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi here it comes,, here comes the poorly-written fluff,,, jk but yes have some fluff

The party lasted a little past midnight, with her taking care of Hyunjin’s drunk butt. She and Minho had to haul his intoxicated body up to Minho’s room, which was surprisingly small. Maybe he treated it as a sleeping area rather than a room, knowing that he was awake for almost a day, every day. 

His room had a square bed with four posts that convened into a square above the bed. His sheets were boringly white, with a black comforter draped carefully over the covers and the mattress. He had two black vanities on either side of the bed, both with several drawers, probably for his clothes, socks, and other pieces of clothing he needed for daily use. A painting of poppy flowers was the most shocking thing in his bedroom, considering it was the only pop of color in the room. Not saying that white and black aren’t colors, but y’know. 

“Will he be okay?” Soojin asked when they finally dropped Hyunjin on Minho’s bed. “He looks a little too intoxicated.”

“Him? Nah,” Minho replied as he dusted off the glitters from Hyunjin’s shirt off of his hands. “This is just the first stage of his drunkenness. Wait until he gets to the third stage: he starts taking off his pants and dancing on tables.”

She physically and mentally cringed. “That’s something I do not want to see.” 

“Trust me, it’s funnier than it sounds.”

“Still don’t want to see it,” she said with finality, but also with a small smile on her face. “So, what do we do now?” 

He shrugged. “Well, everyone else is gone and taken care of, so it’s just us now,” he said.

“What do you want to do?” 

“To be honest? I kind of want to get away from all this mess for a while,” he said as he held out his hand for her to hold, yet again. “Wanna come with me for a walk?” 

Beaming at him and holding his hand once more, she said, “Definitely.”

They slowly walked in comfortable silence for a while until after a few minutes, they reached the foyer and the wall that led to the garden. “Guess this is the quietest and most soothing part in the castle,” he said as he placed his palm on the cool stone and opened up the portal. 

“It really is,” she said as they stepped through the gateway together and she felt the grass underneath her feet once more. “The celebration’s ended yet I still feel happy.” 

Minho was silent for a few seconds until she felt him look at her as he genuinely said, “Yeah. Me, too.” 

She turned her head to meet his starry eyes and she managed a tiny yet dazzling smile at him, only because he made her heart skip a beat at that instant. Without even thinking, she let go of his hand and pranced towards the pomegranate tree, where they shared fruits on her first few nights in the castle. Minho followed close behind, mostly with a smile on his face as he observed her closely. 

After reaching the tree, she lied down just a little bit shy of its shadow, just enough for her to see the starless night sky. Minho lied down beside her with their shoulders and hands barely touching. She felt his hand’s presence so clearly beside hers, and Soojin so badly wanted to clasp it in her hands once again, but she knew she shouldn’t, because it would give him the wrong idea that she liked him. She wasn’t at that stage yet. 

She managed to come to terms with her feelings, though. She knew she liked him, but she also had to realize that he won’t ever like her back, considering he was too busy with work, and that she would probably be way below his standards. He was a gentleman with principles, and she was a little girl with no care in the world. Someone like her wasn’t to be with someone like him. 

“I can’t see anything,” Minho complained. “It sucks that there are no stars, and that the sky is just pure black velvet down here.” 

Soojin smiled at the night sky, for she had an idea on what to do, but that would come later. “There were times when I’d just sit outside and do the same thing that we’re doing right now; sitting and lying down to watch the supposed stars,” she started. “I only did it once in a while, though. I didn’t appreciate the stars back then. Not as much as I do now.”

“Hmm,” Minho hummed as he closed his eyes. “How is it on the surface? I haven’t been there in how many millennia.” 

“Not that great, mind you,” she said as she turned over and lied down on her stomach, picking at the small flowers in the grass. “There’s not much to do except to serve the gods up there.”

He snorted. “I know what that feels like.” 

She used the time his eyes were closed to trace his face with her wandering eyes. The bridge of his nose was still as straight as ever, and his eyelashes were long—possibly even longer than hers. His face wasn’t usually angular, but with the makeup he put on, his features were softly sharpened. It’s like he was a completely different person, but she knew that his heart still stayed the same. 

“I can feel you looking at me, you know,” he said after a while with his eyes still closed.

“I wasn’t being subtle about it,” she replied, partially in jest, partially in truth. “Hey, do you remember that time I read your aura?” 

“It was one of the few times I opened up to someone, so yes, I do remember it. Why?”

She sighed and plucked tiny daisies from the ground to make into a flower crown, giving her something to fidget with while she talked to him. “You said you didn’t know where to go from there because you didn’t have any strength to go on anymore,” she recalled. “Do you still feel that way?” 

A moment of silence was shared between them. It lasted for a good minute or so, in which timeframe Soojin was able to wave her hands and form a crown of daisies and pomegranate tree leaves. She quietly placed them on Minho’s head, though a little lopsidedly, considering the crown wasn’t reaching the back of his head. 

With a sigh, Minho fixed the garland on his head and opened his eyes. “I don’t think I feel that way anymore,” he said with conclusiveness. “Not when I started doing this job with you.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked curiously. 

“You’ve taught me a lot of things, Kim Soojin,” he said without looking at her, though a smile was slowly spreading across his face. “Never thought a young goddess could teach me so much in such a short period of time.” 

She picked off another set of daisies and picked up a few fallen leaves to make another crown. “What exactly did I teach you? You’ve said that a couple of times, actually.” 

“Well, you taught me how to live my life freely yet according to my plans. You also taught me how to wing things, which I’ve never really done. Through your personality, I passed judgment down less harshly, and with more compassion. To add to that, my perspective on death has changed as a whole,” he enumerated. “There are a lot of things to add to the list, and I couldn’t possibly name them all.” 

She smiled a little bit at all he had said, mostly because she started feeling good about herself. She lied back down with her back to the grass and her shoulders touching Minho’s. “Thanks for that. I needed it.” 

He shrugged, and the sleeves of his silken top softly brushed against her bare shoulders. “All in a day’s work,” he said.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, just silently watching the mist pass by. When she officially got tired from looking at the color black, she held onto Minho’s hand—something that he almost flinched at—as she dug her hand into the dirt below them and threw it above their heads. Just when she thought the dust and grime would completely cover them up, the thousands of particles exploded into tiny yet bright yellow orbs that made their way up into the sky, forming moving diamonds across the black velvet above them. They swarmed the entire place, from the edge of the garden to the portal to the castle. Some of them even went inside the palace, and she knew the twins would quickly play with them once they saw them. The surroundings were enveloped in a soft yellow light, as if the place was illuminated by lanterns and not the butts of small insects.

“Holy mother of the gods,” he said, not believing his eyes as they darted from firefly to firefly. “I haven’t seen anything like this in the longest time.” 

She held her free hand up and playfully touched one. It crawled across the skin of her hand and glowed as if its life depended on it. As she entertained herself with that one bug, she felt Minho’s hand slowly intertwine its fingers with hers, and she almost let go of the firefly when he started running his thumb across the back of her hand. When she looked at him, she noticed that he was doing it absentmindedly, as he was preoccupied with playing with the fireflies surrounding him. He was touching them as if he were popping bubbles, and she swore she heard him blow out a breath in a laugh. 

It was good that he was absorbed in having a good time with the insects, considering that he kept doing the hand thing Soojin was poring and swooning herself over. Lovely. Just one more thing to like about Minho, and it was one of her weaknesses. She kept watching him as he sighed at the sight of faint yellow, his eyes running across the entirety of the sky. 

“This… this is beautiful,” he said without even looking at her.

To say that her heart was filled with love was a huge understatement of what she actually felt at the time. How badly she wanted to bring him close and bury herself in the crook of his neck forever. How badly she wanted to hold his hand for the rest of time, and yet she couldn’t help but stare at him, at his starlit eyes, at his mile-long eyelashes, at the gentle curves of his face, and with full confidence, say, “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” 

She doesn’t know when she fell asleep, but she did. Underneath the makeshift stars, she closed her eyes while still looking at Minho, if she remembered the events correctly. Maybe it was the reason why her neck was so stiff when she woke up the next day with the scent of fresh linen and cologne in her nostrils. Her eyes fluttered open to see curtains that were not her own, and a gray rug that was too fluffy to be in her room. Yawning, she turned over in the bed and pulled up the black comforter up to her neck, until she realized what she’d just done. 

Her eyes widened when she figured out where she was, and she slowly got up to look at her surroundings. Yep, it was the same two vanities and the same poles that gathered into a bare square above the bed. The only fixture in the room that seemed new to her was the figure in a red velvet chair, wearing a white long-sleeved polo with black suspenders, and matching black pants with black leather shoes. He was holding a book in one hand and swirling a glass of red wine in the other, and he looked absolutely attractive while he was reading the novel intensely. 

“Don’t look so surprised; I kicked Hyunjin out of the bed to get you here,” Minho said without looking up from his book. “I also had the female servants dress you up before I entered the room.” 

She looked down at her nightgown and realized that he was right. She now wore a simple white dress with slightly puffed sleeves and laced hems. “Thank you, I guess?” she replied. “Where did Hyunjin go, though?” 

He snapped his book closed with one hand as his head looked up to meet her eyes. “Once he realized he was on the floor, he just went over to the guest room. I bet he’s still sleeping.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” she joked as she rubbed the crusties from her eyes. “You picked me over Hyunjin. Dumb, but sweet.” 

“All in a day’s work,” he replied with a wink, and Soojin’s heart made flips inside her chest. “I had Jisung and Felix bring up some food for you to eat. You looked pretty tired last night. Had to carry you on my back.” 

“Could’ve just let Jisung and Felix do it, you know,” she said with a smile as she stretched her limbs. “It’s literally their job to take care of me.” 

“Well, it’s my job to take care of you, too.” He uncrossed his legs, got up, downed the good last fourth of his wine, and set down both the glass and the book on his bedside vanity. He cleared his throat and pointed his fingers at the bed. “May I?” 

“Hey, it’s your bed,” she said as she scooted over to make room so that he was beside her, his knee propped up on the mattress. It took a small moment of them just looking at each other, smiling, before Soojin came up with a question. “Hey, Minho, what exactly do you do for fun?” 

He contemplated on his answer, but it was for a long while. His eyes were flitting around and his mouth turned into a pout, which Soojin found absolutely lovable. “To be honest? Sleep. Sleep and eat. Eat and be happy.” 

“You’re so boring sometimes, you know. In any case, here.” Soojin patted the space beside her as she placed her head on the pillow. “You wanted to sleep? Then sleep.” 

Minho looked as confused as she felt, but she decided to wing it. After all, it was her forte. “Excuse me?” he asked. “Are you asking me to sleep, like, right now?” 

“I doubt you got any sleep last night. Did you?” 

“Uh…” 

“Yeah, you didn’t,” she said with a pity smile. “Come here.” 

Hesitantly, he took off his shoes and slid into the space beside her, finding himself practically inches away from her face as the two of them continued to look at each other. “This is a little bit uncomfortable with all the clothes I have on, but this is nice,” he said, his eyes half-lidded ever so suddenly. 

“Your comforter smells like you. It’s nice.” She snuggled up into the covers once more with Minho chuckling at her.

“It would be weird if they didn’t smell like me,” he teased.

“It would be weirder if they smelled like Hyunjin, and that I’m actually smelling him right now.” 

He laughed a little bit, his heavy eyes turning into crescents, and once again, she found something beating against her chest. “Didn’t tell you this last night, but stargazing was a great idea.” 

“They were just fireflies,” she said.

“They may as well have been stars, really. It was really heartwarming to see you do that for me, and I just wanted to say thank you. I guess I don’t really say that enough.”

Shrugging, she gave him a thumbs up. Awkwardly, she might add. “You don’t need to say it. I just know,” she said comfortingly. 

“That’s good. That’s real good,” he said as he yawned. 

“It’s very endearing to see you half-asleep,” she remarked, and she wished she could take back her words in embarrassment. She shouldn’t have said that. She really shouldn’t have said that. 

“It’s very endearing to see you asleep.”

“I guess we’re both creepy in our own ways.”

“Agreed.” 

They both laughed at each other as she noticed that Minho moved a little bit closer to her, so much so that their hands were almost touching. “The next time you find yourself not sleeping, I’m staying up with you,” she warned. 

“You don’t have to do that,” he said quickly.

“I want to,” she said conclusively. “It’s not fair that you get to do all the work, and I want to show, in solidarity, that I can be a good queen, too.” 

“You already are,” he said. “You’ve ruled by my side justly and compassionately, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m proud of you.” 

Her face instantly lit up as she grinned at him. “Really?” 

“Really.” 

She was overcome with joy and happiness when she decided to hug him with one arm in bed, squeezing him as tightly as possible. “Thank you! You don’t know how happy this just made me,” she said, still holding him in her arms. 

“Oh, gods, you’re really strong for someone of your stature,” Minho wheezed as he patted her on the back. 

Once her euphoria had died down, she realized that she was simply hugging him in his bed. Hugging him. In his bed. She disentangled herself from him and cleared her throat embarrassingly, covering her face in her hands. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, that was really not me,” she said, her words muffled by her fingers. 

After a few seconds of silence and her face burning, she felt the weight of the bed shift when he brought their bodies closer with his arm around her waist and their legs almost intertwining with each other. She continued to cover her face because she knew if she didn’t, her entire body would be set aflame and she would explode. Unfortunately for her, Minho pried her hands away from her face to reveal his soft, smiling face, and something in her stomach dropped when she saw him. 

“It’s okay, I’m telling you,” he whispered, shyly looking at her, then looking away. “You can be yourself around me.”

She didn’t know what to say at all; she could only search his face for the answers to all her questions. Why her? Why did she feel so safe in his arms? How could he make her feel this way when she was sure he didn’t like her at all? Was he just a friend or more than that? Her insides were in turmoil as she kept preventing herself from tracing the curves of his face with her slender fingers. All of her senses were pointing towards the urge to bring her face closer to his and close the distance between them, and alarms in her head started blaring when Minho started doing it. 

She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. It was going to happen without her initiating. It was really going to happen. Was this what she was waiting for? Was she finally going to get what she wanted?

“Oh my dear gods,” she heard a deep, familiar voice say behind them, and her head whipped back to see Felix with his mouth open and Jisung with the same expression, but with a tray of food in his hands.

“Y-You left the door slightly open and… and…” Jisung stammered. “We’ll come back later.”

“That’s a great idea,” Felix said as they quite shakily brought the tray down on the long table in front of the bed. Mumbling and whispering to themselves, they shooed each other out and closed the door behind them, ultimately leaving the two gods together in the room. 

They stared at each other for a good few seconds before Soojin got up and hugged her knees, still in disbelief over what had just happened. What had just happened? She was a hundred percent sure Minho was about to kiss her right then and there, but why? Did this officially mean he actually liked her? 

“I’m sorry,” he said, still not getting up from his stance with him staring at her back. “I didn’t mean to do that.” 

“You didn’t?” she asked hesitantly, still clutching on to the covers in order to have some grasp over reality.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Um,” he started, “are you okay?” 

She struggled to find the words to say. She was more than okay, knowing that he wanted to smoosh their faces together, but she was way less okay when he said that he didn’t mean to do it. Did he regret it? Was she a regret? 

“I’m going to take that as a no.” With a grunt, he hoisted himself up off of the bed to look at her directly. “Look, what I meant was that I didn’t mean to cross boundaries like that. I just…”

He trailed off, probably not knowing what to say. She was still shaking and she couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what to say,” she said truthfully. “There are a lot of questions in my head and I can’t seem to separate them one by one.” 

“Take it slow,” he said with a little bit of concern. Probably with too much concern. 

She mulled it over before asking her first question. “Did you really mean to do that?” 

Scratching the back of his head, he replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I did. Been wanting to do it for the longest time, actually.” 

Her body didn’t know whether to celebrate or to combust. So he did like her. She still didn’t know what to do with this information, so she decided to let him take the lead.

“Look, I can understand the confusion,” he started. “I’m sorry I haven’t been clear about my feelings, but… I want to illuminate some points. Shoot, this is gonna be awkward as hell; I have never done this before.” 

She laughed a little bit at him, releasing some of the pressure she held inside. “You’ve always been awkward. Go on.” 

He scowled playfully at her before continuing. “I’ve never encountered anyone like you in the thousands of years of my existence, and I’ve been fighting with myself since forever, but I wanted to remedy that by getting to know you better. I did just that, and I found myself… gods, I don’t want to say it.” 

She snorted at him. “I’d hold you at knifepoint if I had a knife right now just to get you to say it.” 

“Do you really want me to say it if you already know, though?”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” she said with an innocent grin. All innocence. Maybe just a tad bit of naughtiness. 

He sighed and rubbed his temples. He fell back on the bed and tossed and turned while grunting to himself, and Soojin couldn’t help but laugh at his endeavors. “Okay, I’m gonna say it,” he said with finality. “I like you. A lot. But it’s okay if you don’t like me back because I just wanted to get this off my chest for the longest time, and I know you’ve been watching me because I think you only like me as a friend and because Chan and the others told me that I should be honest with my feelings, and—”

As he kept rambling on and on and on, she decided the best thing to shut him up was to give him a small peck on the cheek and, to no one’s surprise, he suddenly went red and shut down. She couldn’t believe it herself, how she had the courage to do that, but he was just being so cute that she couldn’t help it. “This is the most candid you’ve ever been with me,” she said. “I find that very charming and delightful. Thank you.” 

The pitch of his cough went up. “So, um, I can leave now, if you want.” 

“Why would you want to leave?” she asked. “This is your room after all.”

“Are we just ignoring the elephant in the room?”

She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.” 

He sucked in a breath and clutched at his chest exaggeratedly. “You’re hurting me, Song Soojin,” he said almost painfully. “Just reject me and get it over with, please. It’ll be better that way.” 

“What makes you think I’m going to reject you, Lee Minho?” she asked curiously. 

“Because you’re way out of my league and I don’t think someone like you should be with someone like me,” he explained in a rush, and Soojin kind of felt that. That’s what she’d been thinking this entire time as well, but now that she knows that they felt the same way for each other, her poor soul was soothed by just a little bit. 

“You’re an idiot,” she whispered into her knees, hugging them even more. 

He snorted, much like an idiot. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” 

“For two smart people, we can be real stupid sometimes, huh.” She turned to look at him as he blew out a breath and widened his eyes. “Let me make this clear now: I like you, too, Minho. A lot.”

“What.” 

“I’ve been feeling the same way for a while now, but I didn’t want to acknowledge my feelings knowing that you were way out of my league, too.”

“What.” 

“I keep asking myself why you would choose to spend your time with me when you have a lot more important things to do, and basically, why me? Is it because I’m the only woman here for you to like? Are you that desperate?” 

“Oh my gods, no!” he said, almost yelling. “I’m not saying this because you’re the only girl here. In all my years of experience, I’ve never encountered anyone like you. It’s kind of surreal how you feel the same way about me, though. I never really expected it.” 

She ruffled her hair in vexation, but she made sure to smooth it back down just in case the ugly showed up. “Then why me?”

“Why not you?” he asked back. “Don’t you believe in yourself to the point that you can actually be something bigger than yourself? I mean… oh gods, I’m going to keep embarrassing myself today, but I’m going to say it anyway.”

“This is going to be cheesy as hell, isn’t it?” 

“It’s always been you,” he said ever so quickly. “Everything I’ve done—for the most part—has always been for you, and with you. You enjoyed my company without being patronizing, and that’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Are you confusing my niceness as me liking you?” she teased. 

“Maybe, but you’re indulging me,” he said matter-of-factly, his eyebrows rising up and down cockily. 

Laughing a little bit, she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. The question that was dangling in the air was the one she asked next. “Where do you want to go from here, then?”

He shrugged and said, “I don’t know, really. For me, I just want to take it slow; see where it goes.”

“Then we’ll see how it goes.” She smiled at him and as he smiled back, she swore she could see the future in his eyes. 

The next few days were a whirlwind of emotions. She found herself having more energy to go through soul judging and trips to the Elysian Fields and the various rivers. It was enough to say that something inside her chest begged to be let out when she and Minho would brush their fingers ever so slightly and purposely when they crossed each other in the hallways, only due to their busy schedules. 

When she got her time off, it seems she found herself in Minho’s room more often than her own, even if he wasn’t there to occupy it. Sometimes, she just sat down in the red velvet chair and read his books. Surprisingly, on the highest shelf, was an entire row of various books that seemed so Minho-like that it was almost terrifying. There were manuals on how to take care of cats, romance novels, and art books on the different styles of dancing. She didn’t know that he was into dancing, or if he danced at all, but she found it interesting to delve into his passions and hobbies when he wasn’t looking, probably to surprise him with her knowledge about them later on. 

She also found herself taking care of the three kittens while he was away on his duties, too. She learned only a few days ago that he named them Soonie, Doongie, and Dori. Dori, the black one, seemed so aloof to the point that she almost always stayed inside the makeshift cardboard cat tower that the twins made for the three of them. Soonie and Doongie were the more affectionate ones, even though they looked perpetually bored because of their facial expressions. 

Speaking of the twins, they teased her non-stop about whatever relationship she and Minho had. Ever since they walked in on them about to bring their faces together, they almost never left her side because they wanted to know more stories about how they got together in the first place. Soojin couldn’t provide any other tales on how she started liking him because she felt like she exhausted every piece of information she had on hand. Still, the twins found everything entertaining. 

Today, she found herself standing in front of the gates to the Fields of Punishment, where she could hear wailing and groaning coming from the souls that were forced to, well, be punished for their sins. To say that she was quaking in her knickers was an understatement. She decided to visit the Fields with the twins since Minho was busy enough with the incoming souls that were to be judged. She didn’t tell Minho about it, though, because she didn’t have the time. It was probably a bad idea, but Soojin decided to wing it, as always. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jisung asked as he shivered in fright. “I’ve only been here once and it wasn’t a good experience.”

“I just wanna see how it looks like in person,” she replied simply, even if her knees were about to give way. “Maybe there’s something I can do to help Minho out.” 

“I mean, you got into a relationship with—ow!” He didn’t get to finish his sentence since Soojin elbowed him in the ribs, effectively shutting him up while she wallowed in her embarrassment. “Okay, I get it.” 

She blew a strand away from her face as she touched the heavy iron gates, and she instantly felt a subtle ache in her heart. It wasn’t enough to induce a heart attack, but she knew it came from the weight of everyone’s sins, and it was so weighty that it pressed upon her chest. She pushed open the gates and stepped her bare foot onto the rocky ground below, effectively taking her first step into the Fields of Punishment. 

The weather was horrible, to say the least. It was the first area of the Underworld she saw that actually had weather. Dark clouds hung above the sinners and rained fire upon them. Thankfully, she had a protective layer of spring magic over her and the twins so they didn’t get affected by the shower. She saw different kinds of punishments just by first glance: naked men running through cactus patches, sinners being forced to push a boulder up a hill over and over again, three men burning at the stakes, and a man whose liver was being eaten by two vultures. It was a vile and gruesome sight, and she wondered just why the gods would sentence the god of the Underworld to something like this. 

“I’m scared,” Felix said as he clung on to his twin. 

She, too, was terrified, but she knew she had to keep going in order to actually get through to her fears and overcome them. She walked on, hoping to get an idea of what to actually do, but all she could see was pain and suffering. 

It was a good two kilometers and a half of walking when she saw the men in cauldrons, getting their flesh boiled in oil. The screams and wails were enough to pierce Soojin’s ears and almost push her into insanity. Everything was almost too much, but she knew she had to keep going.

Before that, however, she turned to look at the other two companions with her, but when she finally laid her eyes on them, they were gone. “Felix? Jisung?” she called out loudly, but all she could hear were the screams of the dead and the groaning of hefty boulders. 

There was no answer. Feeling alone, she quivered and started to panic, but she kept going. Looking up at the literally fiery sky, she cursed the gods for having to subject Minho to this kind of penalty when he had done nothing wrong, and was simply born and raised into the wrong family. Now, she subjected herself to the same punishment, but finding herself unable to conquer her fears. 

However, she kept walking. It was another two kilometers before she started to get a little bit fatigued. With all the traveling she’d done, she deserved a good rest. She found a twenty-foot bare oak tree just shy of the men getting chased by hellhounds, and she leaned against it, sitting down, to rest her feet. 

Everything was horrible down here. It was grisly, to say the least, and almost unbearable. Literally anything could be better than this dump, and she wanted to get out, but she was getting there. Only a few… hundred… thousand kilometers more. 

“Gods,” she swore. It was getting more tedious than terrifying now, but she was tired and couldn’t think properly. It wasn’t until she saw something that made her utterly depressed that opened her eyes to the plight of the dead.

At the foot of a hill directly in front of her was something that seemed to be a smaller rock. She couldn’t exactly differentiate it from the boulders that the dead were hurling up the hill, aside from the size of the tiny rock. Well, she thought it was a rock until it started moving ever so slowly towards her. There must have been something wrong with her eyes before she rubbed them and squinted at the supposed rock. 

Her eyes then widened. A sinner had just finished rolling his rock atop the hill when the boulder slowly started to come down on the moving rock, and that’s when she realized it wasn’t a piece of stone. She instantly screamed as she got up from her seat below the tree and dashed towards the newborn baby that was about to get smashed underneath the rolling stone. 

I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make it, she repeated in her head as tears started freely flowing down her face. She ran as hard as she could with her heart pounding against her chest, but the child was still a few ways away, and the rock was getting closer and closer. In one last effort to save it, she tapped the ground with her foot for a slab to rise from the ground and boost her towards the baby. With the last of her luck, she managed to slide down on the ground and scrape her knees, but was able to take the baby into her arms to shield it from the oncoming rock. She shut her eyes as the boulder came towards the two of them and braced herself for impact. 

That didn’t happen, however. She heard a booming noise and the sound of tiny pebbles raining down on the ground. Opening her eyes to find Minho standing above her, panting, with his hand outstretched towards the boulder that had just shattered into a million tiny pieces, still coming down above their heads, she saw that the baby had disappeared into literal smoke in her arms, the wisps still making their way towards the sky. 

“What are you doing in here?!” Minho yelled as he got down on his knees, patting different parts of her body to make sure she was okay. “You could have died there!” 

She was still in shock. More tears still threatened to spill from her eyes as she tried to blink them away, but to no avail of course. “I…” 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?” he said, bringing her into his arms and caressing her soft hair in order to calm her down, though she ended up crying into his embrace instead. “You could’ve warned me before coming to this place, you know? Jisung and Felix had to come to me for help.”

“I thought I could do it,” she said, sniffling. “I thought I could get through here without anyone helping me.” 

He sighed as he kept caressing her head. “You don’t have to do things alone in order to prove yourself worthy of something,” he consoled. “I’m here for you. I’m here now; don’t worry.”

She cried into his arms for a solid minute or two before slowly snuffling into silence. “Gods, I’m an absolute idiot.” 

“Yeah, you kinda are,” he said, “but you’re my idiot.” 

Endearing, to say the least, but also really stupid. She clung on to him tighter because she was still a little scared to move. Surprising her in more ways than one, he kissed the top of her head as he continued to nuzzle his head onto hers, and she found herself giggling like a child, something that she couldn’t and didn’t want to suppress anyway. He laughed at her and hugged her more firmly and buried his face in her hair. 

They stayed like that for a while before he helped her up and walked back to the castle, hand in hand, with Soojin limping a little bit with the wounds on her knees. Halfway to the palace, he bent down and offered his back for a ride, and Soojin excitedly hopped on. 

“You may have the strength, but you sure are light,” he remarked as he shifted her weight with his arms under the crook of her legs. 

“Are you calling me malnourished?”

“Your words, not mine,” he said, and Soojin could hear the smile in his voice. 

They continued bickering for the rest of the way back to the gates, where a steed was waiting for the both of them. He hoisted her up first before climbing up behind her and taking the reins in front of her, effectively hugging her in the process. As they slowly rode towards the castle, she leaned into him and he found himself nuzzling into her even more. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling to be able to do this to him—finally—and to feel safe in his arms. At one point, she thinks she fell asleep lying on his chest, but she woke up when the steed stopped in front of the castle gates. 

Minho helped her off the horse yet carried her on his back on the way back to his room. 

“You’re taking me to your room, huh?” she teased. “You really want me in your room.” 

“What can I say? I want to take you to bed every day.”

“Oh my gods, you dirty little—”

“To nap with me. Gods, you have a filthy brain, Song Soojin,” he said, teasing her back. 

She rolled her eyes when they finally got to the double doors of his dreary room. She got off his back, quite literally, and limped towards the bed, the closest place to sit down, while Minho pulled open the smallest cabinet in his vanity to bring out a first-aid kit. “You do know that we’re gods, right? We’ll heal hundreds of times faster than a mortal.” 

“Doesn’t mean you’ll heal super quickly,” he said as he kneeled in front of her. “Besides, getting an infection should be the worst of your worries. You’ll get sick.” 

She shrugged. “You really care about me, huh?” 

“What’s not to care about?” He brought out the hydrogen peroxide and a ball of cotton. “You’re starting to become the center of my world.”

“Have you no filter, good sir?”

“Not when it comes to you.” One side of his lips pulled up as he started to clean the wound, and Soojin almost kicked him right there and then, both because of the abrasions and what he’d just said to her. 

They sat in silence as Minho continued to cure her wounds, and she sat there contemplatively, thinking about all the time that they could have spent together but didn’t, all because they thought that the other didn’t share the same sentiments. She unexpectedly sighed as she stared at him intently cleaning her scrapes. 

“What’s up?” he asked as he threw the cotton away into the trash can five feet away.

“Not much,” she said. “Just thinking about us.” 

“Us?” With a grunt, he got up and returned the kit to the drawer it came from. “What about?” 

She shrugged and sighed once more. “How we could’ve avoided this entire nuisance of a problem if we jut confessed to each other sooner.”

Sitting beside her on the bed, he said, “What are you saying exactly?”

“We could’ve spent more time together,” she explained. “I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings, much like a little child. Confused. Confused about everything and everyone. I should’ve just done what Hyunjin told me to do.” 

He thought long and hard about what she’d just said, though his next few words weren’t what she really expected. “I’m not going to give up on you,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I’m going to make your stay here enjoyable, and it’ll probably the best time you’ll have in your entire lifetime. I’m gonna miss out on something great if I don’t. I’ll always be here, okay?” 

Soojin didn’t know it at the time, but there was a sadness in his eyes when he smiled at her. Even then, she managed a strong “okay”. 

When they were done tangling their limbs with each other’s cuddling, Minho left a sleeping Soojin on his bed and moved towards his throne room. Trudging with a heavy heart, he almost cried on the way there. He was breathing in deep breaths in order to stop the tears from coming, and even tried blinking them away, clutching his chest and pounding on it for everything to just… pause. 

“You don’t look so good,” Changbin said as Minho entered the throne room. “How are you?” 

Minho noted the sincere concern in his voice, but he just simply sighed and plopped his body on the mile-high red velvet chair he called a throne. “This is counterintuitive,” he confessed. 

Hyunjin was silent for a while, rubbing his elbow and looking away. “Just when you’ve found love,” he said softly. 

“Just when he’s found love,” Chan repeated solemnly. 

He was about to groan and say something else, but there was a certain something in the air that made him stop. Warm, friendly, and loving was what he felt right at that moment, and he knew just what was happening. The cloaked figure walked into the atrium with his hood on, but Minho already knew who it was. 

“Jeongin,” Minho managed. “What are you doing here?” 

Jeongin got on one knee and bowed to the king and quickly got up, staring at Minho with a sad expression. “I came to aid you in your, uh, problem with the portal,” Jeongin said awkwardly, but with intent. “You don’t want this to happen, do you?”

Minho stared at him in disbelief, but slowly and surely brought his face into his hands, wiping his face and sighing. “Of course I don’t want it to happen—even before this entire relationship happened,” he said. “I don’t know how to reverse the effect. I felt bad for her when the nymphs and the dryads exited the Underworld, and when she gave that moving speech.”

Jeongin rubbed the back of his neck sorrowfully. Minho could tell that in the short period of time that Jeongin and Soojin spent with each other, Jeongin was already attached to her carefree spirit. It was typical of him to be attached, really, considering that it was his job to be friendly to everyone, but this was a special case. “I tried reasoning with the gods up there, but they said they didn’t want to remove the spell,” he reported. “Not even after I tried removing it myself.”

“How do we do this?” Chan asked. “None of us want this to happen, and it would be pitiful for her if it did.” 

Jeongin shrugged. “All I can do is bless her and hope the blessing is strong enough to lessen the effect of the spell,” he said sadly, blowing out a breath. “I’ll need all your help.” 

“Whatever it takes,” Chan said firmly. 

Minho couldn’t utter a single word at that moment. What was he to do when the only person he found to be the center of his world was going to leave his side? He knew she would come back a few months later, but… everything would be different. Would he want to start anew? Would he have the courage and the strength to do everything all over again?

“There’s nothing I would change with the way I handled this relationship, except for not telling her the full truth,” he stated with a weak voice. “Would it be selfish to keep loving her this way?”

Shaking his head and crossing his arms in front of him, Hyunjin said, “No, it’s not. It’s for the best.”

“There’s nothing wrong with trying your hardest to make sure her stay is comfortable and loving,” Changbin said. “After all: roses are red, violets are blue, she woke up to find a new color, and it’s you.” 

Minho chose that moment to pour his feelings out, crying silently while holding his head between his hands, letting the tears spill onto the floor below him. He was devastated about what was to come, and his poor broken heart wouldn’t be able to handle it. He was helpless, just like a lost child, not knowing where to go. 

He surrendered to his feelings once more as Jeongin placed his hand on Minho’s head and started mumbling some words that Minho couldn’t hear, and Minho instantly felt a fuzzy feeling in his heart, remembering the memories from just half an hour ago, just before he left Soojin. All the cuddling, all the small kisses, all the times they made each other smile… those wouldn’t be traded for anything in the world. He wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. 

If he could do it all over again, he would, even if she would eventually learn to hate him. For him, it was alright, as long as they both learned to love, but also… lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the angst woot woot


End file.
